According to rumours in Spain, Chelsea loanee Saul Niguez is poised to return to Atletico Madrid after his loan stay ends.
During his stint at the club, the 27-year-old made 23 appearances and scored a single goal in the FA Cup against Luton Town.
Saul has returned to Atletico Madrid, according to Spanish news agency Marca, and will remain with his parent club.
The Blues signed Saul five minutes after the August deadline, agreeing to a €5 million loan fee with a €30 million buy option.
After a disappointing period in London, it appears unlikely that Thomas Tuchel's team will use their right to buy the Spaniard.
The 27-year-old struggled to displace Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, or Mateo Kovacic as first-choice midfielders, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek frequently favoured as a backup.
With Ben Chilwell's injury in November, Saul saw more game time at left wing-back, providing insurance for Marcos Alonso until Kenedy returned from a loan spell in Brazil in January.
Images from UK Sports Pics Ltd
According to Marca, the Spanish midfielder will now return to his parent club and fight for a place in Diego Simeone's plans for next season.
He made 340 appearances for Atletico before moving to Chelsea for his first tenure away from the club.
Saul had stated that he would have liked to play more minutes in Tuchel's club when reminiscing on his time at Chelsea.
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His tenure at Chelsea was not a complete washout, as he was content to fill in as a back-up player in the squad before winning the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in February.
When asked whether there was anything he would alter about his time at Chelsea, Saul was candid: "The only way I can make a difference is to keep working and, when the opportunity arises, to take use of it, since I didn't take advantage of it in the first few months. I'm focused on the task at hand, I don't give up, and when I get the chance to deliver next, I'll be able to ask the head coach a few more questions."
However, the Atletico man's options were limited as he returned to his parent club ahead of the new season.
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