Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who would be available at the right price.
The Spain international is not always first choice under coach Luciano Spalletti, having made 19 competitive appearances this season between Serie A and the Europa League.
He scored five goals and provided three assists, recently recovering from COVID-19.
Fabian Ruiz came off the bench today in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 against Fiorentina, but managed to receive two yellow cards for a dismissal.
The midfielder was signed from Real Betis in 2018 for €30m when Carlo Ancelotti was at the helm of Napoli.
His contract only runs to June 2023 and negotiations for an extension have hit a brick wall, as patron Aurelio De Laurentiis is eager to chop down the wage bill.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have long been linked with a bid for Fabian Ruiz, but now Manchester United have emerged as candidates for a possible January swoop.
According to La Repubblica, the Premier League giants see him as an alternative to West Ham United player Declan Rice.
Man Utd leading the way for Napoli’s in-demand midfielder Fabian Ruiz https://t.co/hzT3OoRazv pic.twitter.com/xQfybIaPCu
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 13, 2022
He is clearly a first choice player. He missed games through COVID and a few to rest for the important matches. Lobotka and Demme are obviously only rotation options.
Insigne, Mertens, and Ruiz all may be gone by the end of the season. How do you replace those players, keep the wage bill down, and still challenge for the scudetto? You don’t.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say De Laurentiis is working with Juve or the Milanese clubs to ensure Napoli never win a scudetto. He worked hard bringing Napoli back from bankruptcy to the heights of Serie A, but it appears his greed and pride may hold Napoli back from true greatness.