Chelsea are interested in Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

There had been reports in Spain that the 26-year-old was on the verge of an €80m (£68m) switch to Bayern Munich, but Romano says there have been no official bids and the Blues could still make an approach for the player:

Saúl could leave Atlético Madrid this summer. FC Bayern are interested but no official bid yet, Chelsea are also informed on Saúl situation. Open race and no advanced negotiations yet. Atléti are already in talks for Rodrigo de Paul as potential replacement. ?? #Atleti #CFC

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 4, 2021

Competition for Niguez is expected to be fierce. He has been heavily linked with Manchester United over the years, while Liverpool have also been mentioned as a potential destination in recent days.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is thought to be keen on strengthening his midfield, but many had assumed that he was seeking a more defence-minded player like West Ham’s Declan Rice.

However, there have been links to Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli in recent days, and Niguez is a similar type of player to the Italian, so we shall see if the European champions make an approach for either midfielder.