Chelsea have reportedly made the decision not to sign Saul Niguez permanently at the end of his loan.
The Spain midfielder signed for the Blues on a temporary contract until the end of the campaign, having fallen out of favor under Diego Simeone at Wanda Metropolitano.
A buyout clause has been negotiated in his Stamford Bridge contract, with Chelsea able to sign Saul permanently for £ 30million.
However, after a somewhat inconsistent period in West London, the Blues have decided not to activate this clause, according to the Daily Express.
With Chelsea not committing to a deal for the 27-year-old, it would likely open up new funds for the next summer window for Thomas Tuchel and Marina Granovskaia as they aim to fill in the gaps in the current squad.
The Blues could potentially be looking to sign a center-back, with Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen all out of contract and now eligible to negotiate free transfers to a foreign club. A number of incoming options have already been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, including Seville’s Jules Kounde and Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana.
While there is of course an obvious position for the Blues in which to invest their resources, they might even surprise fans by investing in a big money transfer – Erling Haaland being one of the more prominent names. which, according to rumors, is under consideration.
From Saul’s perspective, however, he hopes to use the remainder of his time with Chelsea to impress potential buyers.
He put in a very positive performance for the Blues in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win over Tottenham Hotspur – and was then congratulated by Thomas Tuchel.
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After the match, the German said: “He [Saul] digested his experiences here at first, when he might not have expected it to be so.
“Now he certainly wouldn’t be the first player to struggle with the move to England. But he’s open, fully focused and fully committed to the squad.
“I am very happy that he put in such a performance, which was a huge step forward.”
So far this season, Saul has made 15 appearances for Chelsea – only seven of them starting.
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