A transfer expert has dealt a blow to Arsenal in their pursuit of a central midfielder.
The Gunners are clearly pretty weak in that area, with Mohamed Elneny leaving in the summer for free, Thomas Partey somewhat injury-prone and Granit Xhaka unreliable at times.
One player who has seemingly caught the eye of Arsenal is Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz, who would no doubt make a fine partner for Partey and is a much more level-headed option than Xhaka.
Now though, journalist Raffaele Auriemma, speaking on Club Napoli Night on the TV channel Teleclub Italia (as cited by football.london), believes Fabian Ruiz won’t be at Napoli next season, but he won’t be going to Arsenal, despite the Gunners reportedly making a proposal for the midfielder.
“I believe that Fabián Ruiz will leave Napoli at the end of the season,” he said. “There’s been a proposal from Arsenal, but I understand that the player doesn’t want to join the Gunners.
“The midfielder is waiting for other offers, be they from Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid.”
Fabian Ruiz’s Napoli stint
The Spaniard joined Napoli in 2018, departing Real Betis for a reported £27m.
And the 25-year-old has since cemented himself as one of Napoli’s standout stars, notching 156 appearances across all competitions for Gli Azzurri – scoring 21 and assisting 14 in the process.
Ruiz has formed a solid partnership with the more defensively sound Diego Demme at the base of Napoli’s midfield.
The former Betis man represents what most people think of when they imagine a Spanish central midfielder – an excellent passer over any distance, agile, with quick feet and good in tight spaces.
