Linked to Tottenham and West Ham earlier in 2018… Napoli have taken the plunge on Fabian Ruiz.
Napoli pulled off a transfer deal on Thursday which two London clubs may live to regret.
Ruiz was linked to both Tottenham Hotspur [via Marca] and West Ham [via ESPN] earlier in 2018.
Ruiz had risen through Real Betis’ academy and was a Spain under-21 international.
At just 22, he was a regular for the La Liga side, able to play as both an orthodox central midfielder or in an attacking role.
Last season he scored three times from midfielder and provided six assists, and £26.5 million is an excellent price for a player who could be worth double that if he impresses for Napoli over the next couple of seasons.
Tottenham have been tracking Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, who is the same age as Ruiz.
The Championship club are holding out for a higher fee, with negotiations difficult.
Napoli’s negotiation for Ruiz was straightforward, a case of meeting a release clause, and many would opine that the Spaniard is a better player than the Villa man, who the Daily Telegraph report is also interesting West Ham.
Time will tell, but it looks as though the two sides may have missed out on an absolute gem in the Serie A bound Spanish midfielder.
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