Fabian Ruiz has shone in Serie A and he is apparently on the radar of Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions Man City.
Manchester City are set to watch £25.5 million Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz in action tonight with the Premier League champions sending a scout to Austria, according to The Guardian.
Red Bull Salzburg will host Carlo Ancelotti’s side in an intriguing Champions League group stage clash with a number of highly-rated young talents likely to feature, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Takumi Minamino and Erling Braut Haaland, not to mention Ruiz himself.
And with Manchester City planning for life after David Silva, who is set to bid an emotional farewell to the Etihad at the end of the season, Pep Guardiola’s side are apparently turning their attention to another silky, left-footed magician who made his name in Spain.
Former Real Betis talisman Ruiz joined Napoli for £25.5 million in the summer of 2018 and he’s gone from strength to strength ever since, winning the Player of the Tournament as Spain won the U21 European Championships this summer.
He’s not exactly identical to the diminutive Silva - taller, more athletic and blessed with a formidable long-range shot - but he does possess the class and vision that Guardiola demands from his midfielders.
Ruiz could even slot into a deeper midfield role if required with his ability to control the game from the centre of the park shining through for club and country.
Ruiz will not come cheap, however. Napoli’s outspoken president Aurelio di Laurentiis has already stated that the bidding would start at a staggering £155 million – and not even moneybags City have that sort of cash lying around.
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