Manchester City have been linked with Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz recently and he could form a superb partnership with Kevin De Bruyne in Pep Guardiola’s midfield should he make the move to the Etihad Stadium this summer.
According to Don Balon, City are in talks with the Spain international after making contact with Napoli ahead of a potential summer move.
The “spectacular” 25-year-old – as hailed by Quique Setien, his former boss at Real Betis – has made 127 appearances for the Serie A side since joining from the Andalucian outfit in 2018, contributed 15 goals and 10 assists in his three years in Italy.
He has continued as a regular at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this season, making 32 appearances in Serie A, with three goals and one assist to his name, which has helped him average an impressive 6.97 rating from WhoScored.
This is enough to rank him as the fifth-best performer in Gennaro Gattuso’s squad this season, which emphasises that he will surely be highly valued at Napoli this summer and that they won’t be keen to lose him.
Transfermarkt currently values the Spaniard at £39.6m and he is contracted until 2023, which suggests that any potential deal for Ruiz this summer would not be cheap. However, his style of play suggests that he would be a perfect fit in Guardiola’s side next season, and he could compliment De Bruyne excellently in midfield.
According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old’s main strengths are passing, through balls, key passes, long shots and concentration, which immediately suggests that he would adapt well to the demands of playing in a Guardiola team.
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Ruiz’s has registered a 90.5% pass accuracy in the Italian top flight this season, which would rank him as the ninth-best passer in Guardiola’s side this term had he averaged the same rate in the Premier League.
It seems that the Spanish midfielder could fulfil a similar role to Ilkay Gundogan at the Etihad, in the sense that he could help City retain possession and allow De Bruyne to take up a more attacking role, whilst his 1.8 tackles per game in Serie A also demonstrates that he can be solid defensively when required.
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Therefore, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider a move for Ruiz this summer, as the 25-year-old could prove to be a superb addition to Guardiola’s side next season.
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