Atletico Madrid may find themselves in more FIFA hot water, after they handed Saul Niguez a nine-year contract with the club.

The midfielder has already penned the deal, which ties him to the La Liga side until 2026.

Saul, who top scored at the European Under-21 Championships in June, already had a deal with Atletico until 2021. But with Barcelona and Manchester United making enquiries, Los Rojiblancos moved quickly.

However, in handing Saul a nine-year deal, Atletico are again going against FIFA regulations which states: “The maximum length of a contract shall be five years.”

The Spanish club are already serving a transfer ban, which will prevent them from registering new players until January, 2018.

However, it is believed that Spanish employment laws are in their favour and FIFA will defer to domestic law.