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Real Madrid have reportedly emerged as the favourites to land Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz as the player is believed to be very keen on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Los Blancos step up their pursuit of the Napoli midfielder
The 23-year-old is understood to have stalled all talks of a contract renewal at the Stadio San Paolo, thereby making way for several European titans like Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City to intensify their interests in him.
However, AS claim that Real Madrid have emerged as the favourites in the chase for the highly-rated midfielder, with the Seville-born star increasingly warming up to the idea of working under Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital.
The sacking of Carlo Ancelotti earlier this month is also believed to have played a part in Ruiz's consideration of an exit as it was reportedly a call from the Italian tactician that made him move to Napoli in the first place. The player left Real Betis for the Italian giants in a £25.5 million switch in the summer of 2018 and has since enjoyed scintillating form in Serie A.
Los Blancos have been interested in the Spain international for over a year as Zidane has been looking to revitalise his midfield as part of his plans to bring the side back to their former glory. The likes of Christian Eriksen and Paul Pogba have been considered as potential long-term replacements for Luka Modric and Toni Kroos but Ruiz is believed to be a better and less disruptive alternative.
While the Madrid giants are more than capable of paying a huge sum for Ruiz's services, the negotiations will not be as easy, especially with Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis' notorious reputation when it comes to transfer business.
