Addressing those links between Atlético Madrid midfielder Saúl Ñíguez and Bayern Munich

Over the weekend, AS broke a story that caused a bit of a furor as it linked Bayern Munich to Atlético Madrid’s Saúl Ñíguez.

The 26-year-old midfielder is allegedly out-of-favor in Madrid and no longer a guaranteed starter.

For many clubs, the Spaniard might be an appealing option, but there are several factors working against such a move:

• Saúl reported has a €150 release clause.
• Saúl has a contract running through 2026, so any team negotiating with Atlético Madrid is at a severe disadvantage.
• Bayern Munich already has a world-class midfield pivot in Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, who are both up for a big raise.

More, Football Espana captured a quick synopsis on what it might take for any club to land Saúl:

But, with his current contract running until 2026, Atletico hold a strong position in any potential transfer negotiations. Bayern will not pay his full €150m release clause, with Atletico willing to accept a fee closer to €50m as they look to balance their finances this summer.

A €50 million fee for a surplus midfielder seems steep in the COVID-19 age. In addition, Saúl has a salary of €14.4 million per season, which also seems to be a lot of money to invest in a position that already has salary increases incoming for both Goretzka and Kimmich.

Oh yeah...and there is the customary “Falk Flexxx” on any Bayern Munich rumor that seems to creep up, which indicates, of course, that this is “not true”:

That should sum it up. The reports will continue to float, but there are not many reasons to think this is a serious discussion, but perhaps just a bit of potential leverage as the Bavarians head to the negotiating table with Kimmich and Goretzka in the coming months.