Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in signing Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, according to reports in the Italian media.
The Spanish international has only a year left on his contract at the Serie A club and it is believed that he could be sold for a fee of around €30m (£25m) this summer.
Supporters on Twitter had a rather mixed reaction to the news that the Gunners are weighing up a move for Ruiz:
Get him please
— Aliakwe (@aliakwe1920) May 29, 2022
I’ve never been a big fan of his… I like him but I think he’d Flop in England 🤷🏽♂️ like HARD!
— DeepInTheCoug (@in_coug) May 29, 2022
He is a true copy of granit Xhaka – so No way!
— Mikkel Moff (@Moffinho) May 29, 2022
Yessss plz yesss.
— Emirates Guru (@daspecialagent) May 29, 2022
This isn’t a news to really be excited about. If this is true, then we’re not a contender for his signature. If Real Madrid, Barcelona are also jolting for his signature, then I see him going their ways. Except of course, if the wages would attracts him. And that’s left to b seen
— Yemi Egbebiyi (@YEgbebiyi) May 29, 2022
He’s a good midfielder, I ave watched him play several times In Europa league and serie A .
— Dee (@deebliss7) May 29, 2022
I like the player but one good season and he’ll start talking about his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid/Barcelona. Should learn from Cesc and Reyes
— Allan Abbas (@AllanAbbas) May 29, 2022
Ruiz has had a pretty decent season for Napoli, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 38 games, but his goal contributions over the course of his career have been pretty underwhelming.
The 26-year-old has managed only 24 assists in 243 senior appearances and, despite his record in front of goal last campaign, he isn’t a prolific scorer.
Of course, he does have other attributes, and he could well be a decent alternative to players like Leicester’s Youri Tielemans, Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Juventus’s Arthur if manager Mikel Arteta feels he needs another midfielder who can dictate the tempo in the middle of the park. For £25m too, he wouldn’t cost a great deal either.