Real Madrid reportedly made a €45m offer for Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz but saw their bid knocked back by the Italian giants.
Zinedine Zidane was busy rebuilding his squad this past summer, bringing in the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao to ensure they bounced back from a disappointing campaign last time round.
SEE MORE: Huge boost for Real Madrid as key figure returns to full training and could face Levante
However, it’s now been suggested by Calciomercato that the Spanish giants were also keen on Ruiz, but saw a €45m bid rejected by Napoli for their midfield ace.
Given the technical quality, composure and class that the 23-year-old possesses, he would arguably be an ideal fit for the Real Madrid midfield to offer a long-term replacement for the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
In turn, it’s easy to see why the La Liga side were reportedly keen on signing him this summer. However, it appears as though they’ve missed their chance as Ruiz is now being tipped to sign a contract renewal to extend his stay with the Partenopei, as per the report above.
Furthermore, to make life more complicated for Real Madrid if they did wish to try again next year, it’s noted by Calciomercato that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis doesn’t want a release clause to be included in his new deal and so that would certainly put the Italian outfit in a strong position to either keep him or demand a huge fee moving forward.
Time will tell if Madrid try again, but given Ruiz’s importance to coach Carlo Ancelotti last season and coupled with the room for improvement and development that he still has in his game, it seems unlikely that they will entertain offers, especially if he does now commit his long-term future.
