One of Barcelona’s biggest targets heading into the summer is being tipped to join eventual Premier League champions Liverpool.
Napoli will host Barcelona in their round of 16 clash of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening. The Serie A giants are looking like a much rejuvenated side since Carlo Ancelotti was fired and will give the Blaugrana a run for their money, especially given the fact that the team is not playing at its highest standard.
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Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne will be crucial players for the home side, but a lot of eyes will be on Fabian Ruiz as he hopes to make a statement against what could well be his next club. Fabian has captured a lot of eyes of late, with Real Madrid also in contention for his signing. Don Balon reports that Liverpool will also join the chase soon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side is wheeling away to the Premier League’s summit this year, but the most recent injury to Jordan Henderson raised questions about whether the Reds can actually cope up without their captain. Unfortunately, they have let down in his absence after scraping past West Ham on Monday.
Fabian Ruiz will definitely be a great addition to Klopp’s roster if they can land him in the upcoming summer. The Spaniard’s dynamism and attacking capabilities will tremendously help an already incredible Liverpool side if he ends up replacing a rather inconsistent and underperforming Fabinho over the next couple of months.
Real Madrid or Barcelona seem to be Fabian Ruiz’s likeliest destinations should he leave Napoli, but both the Spanish giants will have to spend in excess of 100 million euros for the midfielder. Given Barca’s tight financial situation and the number of existing midfielders at Zidane’s disposal, it’s difficult to think that either of the clubs would spend that kind of money.
Barca however, have not signed a proper replacement for Andres Iniesta with Arthur and de Jong both being hybrids of Xavi. Fabian Ruiz may be the kind of player that matches the Blaugrana’s requirement. Quique Setien knows the midfielder since his time at Real Betis, and that may be a major ploy favouring Barcelona if they are indeed interested in him.
On the flipside, they will pursue a move for Lautaro Martinez and probably even Neymar this summer, so it’s better if the Catalans are cautious of their spending by looking at what has recently happened to Manchester City for doing the same. As it is, they are in need of raising some funds to fall outside the Financial Fair Play scanner.
Do you think Fabian Ruiz must be a priority for the Blaugrana if they can’t sign Neymar?