Chelsea’s pursuit for Saul stalls with Atletico having ‘second thoughts’

Chelsea’s move for Saul Niguez has stalled with Atletico Madrid having ‘second thoughts’ about selling the midfielder this summer.

Saul has been linked with a move to the Premier League after growing frustrated with his role under Diego Simeone, with Chelsea one of the sides interested in signing the 26-year-old on an initial loan deal.

However, the Telegraph are reporting that the deal has stalled following a change in stance from Atletico, who are having ‘second thoughts’ on whether to sanction a loan deal – with Chelsea unwilling to open talks over a permanent deal.

Thomas Tuchel currently has N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and Mason Mount as midfield options and the Blues will only move to sign Saul on an initial temporary basis.

The deal now appears in jeopardy with the transfer window set to shut on Tuesday and the Blues have also been frustrated in their attempts to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla.

Sevilla are understood to have raised their asking price by around €15m (£12.8m) for the France international, a figure that Chelsea are unwilling to meet.

The move for Kounde comes following Kurt Zouma’s £29.8m move to West Ham which was completed over the weekend, though the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah lessens Chelsea’s need for defensive reinforcements.

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