Manchester City closing in on €80m deal for Atleti's Saul Ñíguez | OneFootball

Manchester City are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Atlético Madrid midfielder Saul Ñíguez.

City are thought to be ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign Saul, with the reigning Premier League champions ear-marking the 24-year-old as their long-term successor to Fernandinho.

Pep Guardiola’s side failed in their attempts to sign Frenkie De Jong from Ajax in January after the Netherlands international opted to join Barça.

And despite capturing the highly-rated 21-year-old Ernesto Valverde’s men had remained keen on lading the Atleti talent this summer as well.

However sources close to ESPN have indicated that City are leading the race for Saul and will likely complete an €80m deal come the end of the season.

“He can’t stay at Atletico anymore, everything’s complicated for him there,” a source told ESPN FC.

The player’s representatives have apparently told Barça that the midfielder’s next destination will be the Etihad, with negotiations to formally begin in June.

Saul has played 150 LaLiga games for Diego Simeone’s side during his five years in the first team.