Manchester City are heavy favourites to clinch the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez in the summer, according to reports in the UK.

The 24-year-old has a contract at the Wanda Metropolitano that expires in 2026 but the Spanish club need to raise funds through player sales.

Saul would likely cost in the region of €80m (£69m) to be lured away from the La Liga side. Reports in Spain suggest the midfielder has become unsettled by the vast difference in salary between him and Antoine Griezmann. No doubt Pep Guardiola’s side could improve on the wage he gets at Atletico.

The Spanish international has also been pursued by Manchester United and Barcelona but City are believed to be in the box seat after advancing further in their negotiations.

After failures in their pursuits of Frenkie de Jong and Jorginho over the past 12 months, the capture of Saul would certainly help strengthen an area that Guardiola has been wanting to reinforce for a while.