Ahead of their El Clasico tussle on October 26, rival Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are locked in a battle to sign a rising midfielder from Napoli. Spain international Fabian Ruiz has reportedly caught the eyes of the two La Liga clubs, and the right to sign him up will cost north of £87 million.
The Napoli starter first shot into rockstar status earlier this year, and the Spanish clubs immediately took notice. Ruiz transferred from Real Betis to his current team in 2018 and since then, he "has developed into one of the most coveted central midfield players in Europe," The Daily Mail reported.
Napoli appears ready to talk for a possible deal on the Spaniard, but any of the clubs interested will have to pay a high price. Per the same report, it will be a non-starter if the bid is lower than £87 million so Barca and Real will be racing to forward the best proposal.
Ruiz came into view as both Barca and Real are in the middle of refreshing their midfielder slots. For its part, Barcelona is in the process of overhauling the team's midfield the department possibly due to the impending exit of Ivan Rakitic.
Reports said Rakitic would move to a new destination team where the price is right, which will be determined by Barcelona.
Real, on the other hand, is actively hunting for future replacements to Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Modric is in the last year of his stay in Madrid and unlikely to stay on afterward. Kroos is nearing 30s, so his club is naturally looking to prepare for an eventual exit.
According to Goal.com, Barcelona has the advantage in the purported "transfer tug of war between the Clasico rivals." That's because of the previous dealings between Real and Napoli that left the two parties in disagreement.
In any case, the same report stated that Ruiz would be a great addition to any of the competing clubs.
"A cultured and elegant midfielder with a powerful left-footed shot, Fabian Ruiz is capable of playing in a number of midfield roles and formations. He has featured regularly as both a holding and attacking central midfielder, as a left midfielder, and also in two and three-man midfield systems," the report said.
It could be a form of bonus that the Spaniard is a fan favorite. That was the case with Betis and when he moved to Napoli. When the transfer happens, Barca or Real can be assured that Ruiz will carry on with the same charm that earned him notable popularity.
