Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz opens door to possible Arsenal move

Spanish international midfielder Fabián Ruiz has once again cast fresh doubt regarding his future with Serie A side SSC Napoli this summer as the former Real Betis youth graduate goes into the final year of his contract at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, potentially setting off alarm bells in the Arsenal camp.

According to reports from Italian media outlets 1 Football Club and CalcioNapoli24 (cited by SportBible) through journalist Paolo Bargiggia, “The club is, in fact, having a tough approach on Fabián. The player wants to leave the team, so Napoli will listen to important offers, or he’ll be relegated to the bench, as he’ll be excluded from the club’s project. I bring back the interest from Arsenal and Juventus, even if the ‘Bianconeri’ cannot make proposals worth €30-40 million.”

Napoli have reportedly opened the doors for Arsenal to sign midfielder Fabian Ruiz this summer. 🤔🇪🇸 #afc https://t.co/NjWvHwcytj

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) June 15, 2022

This could open the door for Arsenal to potentially renew interest in Ruiz (26), who could present a possible alternative in central midfield for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.

Per the latest reports surrounding the Gunners’ interest in Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, Arsenal are expected to complete a deal for the Belgian international by the end of the month as Arteta and club technical director Edu Gaspar has prioritized the former RSC Anderlecht stand-out as a key piece of the summer transfer strategy along with Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus.

But despite Arsenal having a clear path to Tielemans after Tottenham has pushed for Brighton’s Yves Bissouma, Ruiz could be an interesting option for the Gunners to reconsider if the price point is considerably lower than what the north London giants could be made to shell out for the Belgian star.

Ruiz has been everpresent for I Partenopei for the past four seasons after his breakout 2017-18 La Liga campaign with Betis, and has gone on to feature on 166-occasions across all competitions while adding 22 goals and a further 15-assists.

A versatile central player, Ruiz is capable of being deployed as a traditional 8, in a deeper 6 role, or further forward in a central-attacking capacity which could afford Arteta a slightly more tactically flexible profile in the Spaniard, but given the strength of the links in Tielemans, any possible move for Ruiz would hinge on a complete breakdown in the Gunners pursuit of the key Foxes’ player.

This article was edited by Ben Browning.