NUFC eyeing bid for "beautiful" £34m gem who "dictates the play", imagine him & Bruno - opinion

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United‘s pursuit of Fabian Ruiz ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to Spanish outlet AS, via Sport Witness, the Magpies are to be handed the opportunity to sign the Napoli midfielder as Barcelona are struggling to stump up the €40m (£34m) required to prise him away from Italy.

The report claims that Eddie Howe tried to bring him to St James’ Park in January, only to be told that he wanted to wait until the end of the season to consider his future. Ruiz is now poised to depart the Serie A club, and Newcastle are now eyeing a bid for his services after their failure in the previous transfer window.

PIF must ensure that they are able to get this deal over the line ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, as Ruiz would be a sublime addition to the squad to partner with Guimaraes.

He is a consistent, quality midfield player who is heading into the prime years of his career at the age of 26. Newcastle will therefore be getting a gem who can come in and make an instant impact, instead of a prospect who may take a year or two to settle in.

Ruiz has been in superb form for Napoli in Serie A this season as he has proven his ability to produce quality displays on a regular basis. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 across 31 outings for the Azzurri, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.

Journalist Josh Bunting showered him with praise earlier this year, tweeting: “Fabián Ruiz is a beautiful footballer, he scored the only goal in Napoli’s win over Torino. His pass selection is so good, dictates the play, so smart and intelligent on the ball and off it, so good at popping into space and rotating the ball around, keeps them ticking.”

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