West Ham United want Fabian Ruiz but the Napoli midfielder is now on the verge of making a big move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The Hammers have been keen to bolster their midfield options even after signing Flynn Downes from Swansea City.
This has been a frustrating pursuit though as top target Amadou Onana has decided that he would rather sign for Premier League rivals Everton.
Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński is unlikely to join despite West Ham’s advances, and the same goes for his teammate Fabian Ruiz.
West Ham United want Fabian Ruiz
Reports from Corriere dello Sport in Italy suggested at the end of July that West Ham had made a move for Ruiz, but he had rejected the approach.
Ruiz was seemingly aiming higher than West Ham and wasn’t jumping into a move to East London.
The Spaniard has now landed the big move he wanted after all, with Paris Saint-Germain on the verge of a deal.
Fabrizio Romano reports that PSG are now closing in on Ruiz with talks now ‘very advanced’ between the two clubs.
New sporting director Luis Campos is understood to be a big of Ruiz and Romano added that the deal is on the verge of completion after a ‘secret’ plan from Campos.
It’s stated that Campos has been working on a deal for weeks, anticipating that top clubs around Europe would go for Ruiz when his Napoli contract expires next summer.
Ruiz, 26, has become one of the top midfielders in Italy since joining Napoli from Real Betis back in 2018.
The Spaniard is tall and rangy but with a cultured left foot and the ability to score from range.
You can certainly understand why West Ham were so keen, no doubt believing that Ruiz would have been a revolutionary capture for David Moyes’ midfield.
This move to PSG just goes to show what West Ham were up against though, and it looks like Ruiz can become another name crossed off the Hammers’ list.
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