Atletico Madrid hoping to offload major salary to Saudi Arabian side

Atletico Madrid have not made a major sale in several years, but they may at least get some help cutting their wage bill this summer.

According to Diario AS, Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr want to supply Cristiano Ronaldo via Saul Niguez. The 28-year-old Atletico midfielder has not hit the heights of earlier in his career for several years, but still commands the €7m annual salary that he earned at the peak of his game. That salary is guaranteed until 2026, when his contract finishes.

It is thought that Atletico are open to a deal for that reason, in order to reduce their costs for a player that made just 15 starts all season, and is no longer trusted as a first-team option by Diego Simeone.

Whether Saul would be open to such a move remains to be seen, at the age of 28. While he is not poorly paid, Al Nassr’s offer will likely weigh heavily in any talks. Even if Saul is young enough to return to Europe, there is a good chance that heading to Saudi Arabia could be his final goodbye to top level football when he should be entering his prime.