The decision has been made. The Technical Secretariat of Barcelona already knows that they will not exercise the right of first refusal they have on the midfielder from Atletico Madrid, Saul Niguez, who is being pursued by Premier League clubs. The 'colchonero' team only refers to the player's release clause that reaches 150 million euros, and the Catalan team does not want to enter into an auction.
According to Mundo Deportivo newspaper, Saul is a player who is very much liked by Barcelona and for whom they have very positive reports. However, it is currently impossible for Barcelona to consider paying the 150-million-euro release clause. Especially considering that the priority objectives are the signings of Lautaro Martinez, Neymar or even Fabian Ruiz himself. The idea is that at least this year, the player can finish the season at Atletico Madrid and for the next one, they can tackle his signing, but at a much more affordable price than the release clause he has.
A few months ago, Barcelona paid 15 million euros to Atletico Madrid to have the right of first refusal on Saul Niguez. With this, the 'colchonero' team is obligated to inform Barcelona of any offer they receive and give them the option to match or improve it, in order to sign the player. However, the blaugranas already know that at least this season, they will not exercise this option.