Why Fabian Ruiz can offer Real Madrid more depth in the midfield
According to Goal, (h/t Daily Mail), Real Madrid are willing to offer summer flop Luka Jovic in a bid to land Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
Ruiz, who was valued around £70million initially by Napoli has been on the Spanish giants’ radar for quite some time now. However, the ongoing pandemic coronavirus outbreak has put a host of clubs, including Madrid, under some financial crunch. This has prompted them to look for cheaper options to land the Serie A midfielder.
That said, Real Madrid are looking to offer £62 million summer signing Jovic in exchange for the in-form Ruiz. Despite his big-money move from Eintracht Frankfurt 10 months ago, Jovic has failed to live up to the expectations.
The young striker has been far from impressive, managing just two goals from 24 games across all competitions for Zinedine Zidane’s side. This has seen the Serbian fall out of favour with the French boss, with most of his appearances coming from the bench.
Zidane has rather put his faith on the side’s old guard and veteran striker Karim Benzema, who has been in top form this season. The French finisher is currently Madrid’s top goal scorer in the league with 14 goals under his belt. Madrid also has another striker in Mariano Diaz and young Jovic, who just arrived in Spain suddenly seems like a surplus to the club’s requirements.
Despite his unconvincing displays, Jovic has attracted interest from Napoli. The Partenopei are in the lookout for a new striker amidst uncertainty surrounding the future of their in-demand finisher Arkadiusz Milik.
The Pole is wanted by of a host of clubs such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid, forcing the Neapolitans to look for new options such as Jovic.
Ruiz a perfect fit at Real Madrid
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have not made any major signings in the midfield except for teenage sensation Reinier, back in January. However, he is an attacking midfielder and lacks big-game experience. Zidane had opted to go with his side’s star midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos alongside Uruguayan youngster Federico Valverde in the middle this season.
Though the trio has been impressive, helping Madrid to second spot in the league, Kroos and Modric are not the players they once used to be. Both are already past their thirties with Modric about to turn 35 this September.
With just Uruguayan youngster Federico Valverde left in the mix, Zidane’s side lacks depth in the midfield role and Napoli star Ruiz seems like a perfect fit. The 24-year-old has been a vital player for Napoli since his move from Real Betis in the summer of 2018.
Ruiz played a key role in the side’s second-place finish last season, scoring five goals and three assists from 27 league games. He has also been a main feature in their Champions League outings, making six (2018/19) and seven appearances (2019/20) respectively.
Despite his side’s poor display in the league this season, Ruiz has been a regular within the side. He has featured 22 times in their 26 league games. With the star midfielder having proved his potential with Napoli in recent times, it would not take him much time to adjust to a top club like Madrid.
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Considering all this, swapping the out-of-form Jovic for the talented Ruiz seems like a step in the right direction.
Verdict
With Real Madrid clearly in need of more backup in midfield, a move for Ruiz is a welcoming sight. Moreover, he still has many years left in his career and has shown his quality during his time with Napoli.
Also, with Jovic struggling to make an impression in Spain, it would be wise for the club to offload him. Thus a swap deal for the two players would clearly be a win-win situation for both parties.
