Arsenal open talks to sign 28-year-old Euro 2024 winner this summer - Reports
Arsenal have reportedly opened talks to sign Fabian Ruiz, who notably won Euro 2024 with Spain. The midfielder was easily one of the most exciting players in La Roja's squad, making four goal contributions to ensure they lifted the trophy.
While the 28-year-old's performances for Spain have shown his well-rounded qualities, Ruiz hasn't had the best of times with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He has played less than 30 league games in each of the two seasons under the Parisians' banner.
This is a far cry from his Napoli days when he was a regular playing a minimum of 33 games in Serie A for three straight seasons. His last season with PSG saw him play just 21 league games, with the midfielder clearly unable to cement a first-team position.
Arsenal have reportedly opted to give him a chance to rejuvenate his Napoli form in the Premier League instead. According to a report from Football Transfers, they have set their sights on him and begun discussions with the French giants to secure his signature.
Journalist Duncan Castles explained the reasoning behind the Gunners' move for him, saying (via Football Transfers):
"For someone a Premier League club are looking at, he won more balls than anyone else at the tournament and won twice as many in the final third of the pitch as any other player.
“So you've got that pressing ability, which is fundamental to the way [Mikel] Arteta plays. He passes the ball accurately, beats opponents one on one. In many ways, he looks like an obvious fit to that Arsenal system.”
It will be interesting to see how much PSG would be willing to accept to let Ruiz, who has a contract until 2027, leave for the Emirates Stadium.
Former Arsenal player opens up about struggles in north London
If Fabian Ruiz does move to the Emirates Stadium, he may be hoping that it wouldn't be for a massive transfer fee. Former Gunners player Nicolas Pepe has opened up about how his own huge transfer fee did not make it easy for him to succeed at the club.
Pepe left France, switching from Lille to join the Gunners for a remarkable £72 million in 2019. His stint at the club, though, was rather sub-par, and he explained why, telling BBC Sport:
"It wasn't easy at all. And the fans weren't happy with how I was performing. When I first joined, the fans weren't really judging my performances, they were judging the price tag. But I think I did some great things while at Arsenal... If Arsenal bought me for £20m, maybe it'd be different."
The forward did impress to the best of his abilities, scoring 27 goals and providing 21 assists in 112 games for the north London giants.