Pep Guardiola reportedly wants to bring Napoli’s Serie A star Fabian Ruiz to Premier League champions Manchester City as David Silva’s replacement.
Pep Guardiola wants Fabian Ruiz to replace David Silva at Manchester City but the Napoli midfielder would prefer a move to Real Madrid instead, according to ESPN.
Modern-day legend Silva is entering his final few months at the Etihad Stadium, having announced his intention to leave the Premier League champions at the end of the season back in September, and finding a successor is certainly easier said than done.
Ruiz, standing at 6ft 2ins, isn’t exactly Silva’s doppelganger but he does share the veteran playmaker’s cultured left-foot and ability to carve open a defence with a perfectly weighted through ball.
The 23-year-old is more powerful and athletic, however, with his thunderous shot from range potentially giving Manchester City a different kind of threat in central midfield.
But, according to ESPN, the Seville-born star has his heart set on a return to Spain instead of a move to England’s north west. He would apparently feel more at home in Madrid and, the report adds, some in the Bernabau dressing room feel he’d be a more suitable signing than the famously erratic Paul Pogba.
Manchester City would have to shatter their transfer record if they are serious about bringing Ruiz to the Premier League with Napoli demanding £70 million at the very least. But it seems that they may be barking up the wrong tree here.
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