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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Rio Ferdinand tells Manchester United to complete Saul Niguez transfer swoop

Former centre-back Rio Ferdinand insists that Manchester United should try and sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez before the end of the transfer window.

Although United — who will be looking to build on their opening day thrashing of Leeds when they travel to St Mary's to face Southampton on Sunday afternoon — have spent big-money on landing both Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, adding a new central-midfielder to the squad ahead of the deadline remains a priority.

United have been heavily linked with an array of central-midfielders this summer, including Declan Rice of West Ham, Wolves' Ruben Neves and Rennes star Eduardo Camavinga.

However, finances are likely to dictate what United can and can't do in regards to their pursuit of a midfielder, with the club still in need of offloading players before the window closes.

Nevertheless, Ferdinand has admitted that he would like to see United make a move for Saul, who has been linked with United often in the past, insisting that he would be the "perfect fit" for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"I think if the right player becomes available for the right price, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will go and get him," said Ferdinand, speaking on his YouTube channel, FIVE.

"Saul Niguez would be a perfect fit and he’s asking price was £160million a couple of years ago, now it’s more like £40million-50million.

"In today’s game that’s a decent price for someone like him who has Champions League experience. I’m a big fan of his.

"If you can get him in this window, I think you do it."

MEN Sport currently understands Saul is not thought to be a player on United's radar this summer, with the Spaniard not fitting the criteria for what the Reds are chasing in a defensive-midfielder. The 26-year-old is under contract at Atletico until the summer of 2026.

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