The Barcelona continues to be active in the transfer market after signing Joan García and Marcus Rashford. The goal of the sports management team led by Deco is to strengthen the defense, as the midfield is already well covered. However, the departure of some players cannot be ruled out due to a possible lack of playing time and their desire not to miss the World Cup. The two players in question are Gavi and Fermín López, both of whom are of interest to Atlético Madrid, who have already let Saúl Ñíguez go to start a new adventure at Flamengo. It should be remembered that Barça had a preferential option to sign him.
Barcelona, without a discard from Atlético
It all dates back to 2013 when Atlético Madrid managed to sign David Villa, who was no longer part of Barcelona‘s plans. The deal was very cheap for the Colchoneros given the quality of the Asturian striker, and this was proven when El Guaje won LaLiga in his only year at the Vicente Calderón under Cholo Simeone. Having paid little money for the Spanish international, Barça wanted to try to gain some advantage and signed a clause that included a preferential option for Saúl Ñíguez, which meant that if Atlético decided to sell the Elche-born player, Barcelona would have to receive a yes if they matched the offer.
A few years later, Barcelona tried to sign Saúl, but the younger of the Ñíguez brothers wanted to stay at Atlético Madrid and turned down all the offers that came in from Barcelona. The closest the Spanish international came to joining Camp Nou was at the end of the 2021 transfer window. On that occasion, a swap was on the cards between Griezmann, who wanted to return to Atleti, and Saúl, who wanted to leave because he was no longer so important to Cholo Simeone. Everything seemed set in stone, but in the end, the only thing that happened was Antoine’s return to the Metropolitano, while the Colchonero youth product ended up moving to London, more specifically to Chelsea.
Saúl Ñíguez leaves for Brazil
After failing to settle at Chelsea, Saúl Ñíguez returned to Atlético Madrid, where he spent another two seasons trying to regain the form that had dazzled the big teams of the old continent. His situation was not the best, and he ended the season on loan once again, this time at Sevilla. The Seville club suffered once again, finishing in the lower half of the table, and when his loan spell at Elche came to an end, he had to return to Atleti, who still had no plans for him. With one year left on his contract, he was given every opportunity to leave, as his high salary had become a major issue in recent seasons.
Finally, this summer, Saúl moved quickly to find a new destination and was given permission not to join Atlético Madrid’s preseason training. He was on the verge of signing for Turkish club Trabzonspor, where he would have been reunited with Stefan Savic, but a change of heart and a call from another former teammate changed the course of the Elche-born midfielder’s future. It was Filipe Luis, who is shining as coach of Flamengo, who convinced the younger of the Ñíguez brothers to bet on them, and so it has turned out: a player for whom Barcelona had a preferential option is starting his new adventure at no cost in South America.