It’s no secret that Pep Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez. Well before now it was rumoured that the Spaniard was on his way to the Etihad and even the extortionate amounts being bandied around (€150m) seemingly hadn’t deterred Manchester City. However, a move never materialised. All that could be about to change now, however, with the Rojiblancos heading for a clearout in the summer. Antoine Griezmann’s bumper new contract hasn’t gone down well at all in the dressing room, with Diego Costa just one to voice his disapproval. A year after making his ‘decision,’ the Frenchman might be on the way to City’s rivals United, and though that may appease Costa, strong rumours persist that he too could depart, with China a likely destination. Diego Godin and Filipe Luis are getting no younger so fresh impetus is required in defence, meaning any moves for Atleti’s midfielders certainly won’t be welcomed. But as we’ve seen many times before, what City want, they usually get, and they’ve not rebuffed any of the stories currently circulating which suggest they may be looking to replace a 33-year-old Fernandinho with Saul, nine years his junior. It would be a stunning coup for City if they were able to conclude the deal and would at least be of some comfort to Guardiola who missed out to his former club, Barcelona, when going after his first-choice, Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong. It’s for that reason why Barca, the former favourites for his signature, are no longer interested.