Saul Niguez will be leaving Atletico Madrid in the coming days, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Diego Simeone. However, the way in which he will be departing is slightly different to what has been reported over the course of this week.
It was initially believed that Atleti would be terminating Saul’s contract with immediate effect, thus allowing him to join Sevilla as a free agent next week. However, it’s now been reported by MD that Saul will remain on the books at the Civitas Metropolitano until next summer, and will instead head to Los Nervionenses on loan.
💣🚨 JUST IN: Saúl Ñíguez’s contract with Atlético Madrid will be terminated NEXT season. He will leave on loan to Sevilla for now, but will eventually join them permanently.@JaviGomara pic.twitter.com/4cmfPEkgv1
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 13, 2024
Because of this, Atleti will not terminate Saul’s contract – which runs until 2026 – until next summer, at which point he will join Sevilla on a permanent basis. A further report from El Sevillista states that €6m of Saul’s salary will be covered by Atleti, with his new club only paying out €1m.
🚨 BREAKING – Pending Confirmation: Atlético Madrid will pay €6m of Saúl’s salary, while Sevilla will only pay €1m. He will sign a contract termination at the end of the season.@ramirezmaximodc pic.twitter.com/apChwDTkrV
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 13, 2024
Paying €6m is not ideal, but it still means that Atletico Madrid save a significant portion of Saul’s massive salary. The space freed up will be needed for the new signings that are being planned for Simeone’s squad.
