Juventus are already moving to replace Paul Pogba after the Frenchman was hit by injury, with former Chelsea flop Saul Niguez emerging as an option.
Pogba signed a four-year deal with the Serie A giants after leaving Manchester United at the end of last season. He was supposed to be one of Juve's star signings of the summer, but has been hit by a huge setback less than a month after confirming his return.
Juve confirmed earlier this week that he had torn his meniscus ruling him out of their pre-season trip to Dallas. “Following the pain reported in his right knee, Paul Pogba was subjected to radiological investigations which revealed a lesion of the lateral meniscus. In the next few hours he will undergo a specialist orthopedic consultation," the club said.
In light of that news, Massimiliano Allegri now needs to find a replacement for the 29-year-old as he faces an extended period of time out. The man who has reportedly risen to the top of their list of targets is Saul, who spent last season on loan at Chelsea from Atletico Madrid.
He endured a difficult campaign at Stamford Bridge though and returned to the Spanish capital without the Blues picking up the option to sign him permanently. But Atletico are still keen to move on the midfielder as they seek to cut down their wage bill.
According to El Larguero, via Calciomercato, Saul had been offered to Roma earlier this summer. But that offer was turned down, with the La Liga side instead presenting him to Juve as a replacement for Pogba.
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Juve are said to be considering returning to the transfer market for a replacement in midfield. A loan move is thought to be the most likely option, rather than a permanent deal, with four years remaining on his contract at Atletico.
Saul had returned to Atletico at the start of pre-season following his ill-fated loan spell in the Premier League. He made just 10 appearances in the top-flight, but insisted that his time at Chelsea had done him good.
"I am looking forward to it, very excited to return home and mentally at my best. I really want to see my teammates, to see the coach and go back to work under him. Despite the fact that I didn't have the desired minutes, I think it was a good experience for me to go out at a time when I wasn't feeling well mentally," he said.
"I can only be grateful to all the people at Chelsea for their trust and to my teammates for making the year very bearable and helping me, and to Atleti for having made it easier. I think this season has helped me to improve in many aspects, I have learned a lot and that will come in handy for this new season.
"I am aware that I am coming off a loan in which I have not had many minutes and that I have to get a place in the team with work, perseverance and a lot of sacrifice, something that is very expensive because there is very high competition, we have an enormous team competitive.
"I come with a lot of humility, thinking of working and helping the team in everything I can and from wherever I play. I really want to show that, despite having a difficult year, it has been very good for me to improve and grow in many aspects, both sporting and personal."
