Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz is coming off of an excellent 2018-2019 season, and both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have the 23-year-old Spanish standout on their radar.
Whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona go head-to-head over a talented player on the transfer market, the footballing world takes notice. Even when Real weren’t entirely serious about poaching Neymar, but rather monitoring a volatile transfer saga, fans around the world were enraptured by the prospects of Los Blancos spoiling Barca’s attempts to reunite with the Brazilian star.
With both Real and Barca interested in bolstering their midfield with a rising star next summer, another transfer battle could take place. And it looks like that battle could occur around Napoli center midfielder Fabian Ruiz, whom Real tried to purchase for 45 million euros this summer.
Real’s advances were rejected by Napoli, who value Ruiz highly and are very interested in extending him. But that may not dissuade interested suitors, as Mundo Deportivo’s Miguel Rico reports that Barcelona have interest in the rising star.
Ruiz, per Mundo Deportivo, is valued at 60 million euros by Napoli, who could ask for much more than that if they are able to extend the player, thus reducing the pressure on them to sell. The 23-year-old could also increase his own value by having another strong campaign in 2019-2020.
Last season, Ruiz recorded five goals and four assists, averaging 2.3 key passes per game as per WhoScored.com. He is a fantastic passer who offers an incisive element to his game as a central midfielder, and he’s good for averaging a few tackles per game, too.
Prior to joining Napoli, Ruiz was a star at Real Betis in La Liga, so he has experience playing in Spain’s top flight. This is a player capable of having more than 10 combined goals and assists in a league season when in his prime, in addition to providing calm passing and assured defending in the center of the park.
Barcelona are looking to replace Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic long-term, so Ruiz would be an ideal signing for them. The same can be said for Real, who have to think about replacing Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Both teams have other players on their radar, with Real showing the most interest in Paul Pogba. But Real also have designs on other up-and-comers like Donny van de Beek and Bruno Fernandes, who are arguably better and more promising than Ruiz. They’d also figure to come cheaper, though that’s difficult to predict in this transfer market.
The idea of Real and Barca battling over a 23-year-old Spanish midfielder who is lighting up Serie A – and has La Liga experience – is intriguing. But between the two sides, Barcelona seem like the better fit for Ruiz. Plus, if Ruiz gets a new contract from Napoli, it’s likely both teams will balk at the price, as they’d also be wary of Napoli shrewdly pitting the rivals against each other to further boost Ruiz’s price.
The gut feeling is that Real should look elsewhere, but Ruiz is so talented and such a good fit that his status remains worth watching closely. Whether or not Barca or Real are willing to fork over the money to Napoli if Ruiz signs a new deal is uncertain, but it’s obvious that Ruiz has the talent to be a chance-creating star in midfield.