Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz is attracting interest from a number of top European clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City.
Italian outlet Calciomercato have claimed Pep Guardiola is a huge fan of the 23-year-old and he too is an admirer of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. It appears City are actively looking to bring in two midfield players this summer and Ruiz is one of the names the Cityzen’s continue to be linked with.
The Naples based club are desperate to tie the midfielder down beyond his current deal which expires in 2023 in order to protect themselves financially from the likes of City but it’s said talks have stalled due to Aurelio De Laurentiis’ reluctance to include a ‘lower’ buy-out clause for the Spanish international.
Man City are said to have sent representatives to watch Fabian Ruiz on multiple occasions and they don’t look set to stop anytime soon as they ramp up their interest in the former Real Betis man.
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Fabian Ruiz – The Download
The midfield maestro is best known for his passing range and ability to maintain possession – something Guardiola values highly. Napoli paid approximately €30m (£25.6m) to acquire his services from La Liga outfit Real Betis in the summer of 2018 and according to Transfermarkt.co.uk, the player is now worth in the region of £54m.
The Serie A club currently find themselves in 7th position and appear to be struggling under Carlo Ancelotti despite finishing runners up last season. However, Ruiz’s own standards don’t appear to have dropped, according to WhoScored.com his average performance rating of 7.36/10 is second only to that of Arkadiusz Milik.
His style of play and technical attributes marry up perfectly with the footballing philosophy of Guardiola and so a move for the Spanish star should enhance the City midfield as well as suit the player perfectly. The interest appears to be legitimate and it would not be a surprise if the Premier League outfit were to test Napoli’s resolve with a substantial bid this summer.