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Manchester United have contacted the representatives of Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz to discuss a potential move for the Spaniard, as per Sport Witness.
The report claims that the Red Devils have come into the equation following Ruiz, 26, having reportedly rejected an offer from West Ham United.
The Spaniard has just a year left to run on his current deal with Napoli and is expected to depart in the near future.
Interest from United is yet to be made concrete but Erik ten Hag's side are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements.
The departures of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic have left Ten Hag in need of replacements and Ruiz fits the bill.
Italian journalist Ciro Venerato has told outlet CalcioNapoli24:
“Manchester United made an attempt with Fabian’s entourage. while I do not find any lunges from West Ham. Both teams, however, have not yet called Napoli."
The Serie A side believe Ruiz will wait until the summer of 2023 to become a free agent.
This is despite the Naples side showing a willingness for the midfielder to be sold at a reasonable price.
The former Real Betis midfielder made 38 appearances for Lucanio Spalleti's side last season, scoring seven goals and creating five assists.
He joined Napoli back in 2018 from Betis for £27 million and has been a mainstay in the team since.
Manchester United's interest in Ruiz may stem from lack of progress in Frenkie de Jong deal
We are now three months into the transfer saga surrounding Barcelona star De Jong and there is still no conlusion.
Mixed signals of whether the Dutch midfielder wants to stay at the Blaugrana coinciding with owed payments have left Manchester United fans guessing.
The 25-year-old is the Red Devils' top transfer target and there have been numerous occasions when the proposed deal looked likely.
Yet De Jong still remains a Barca player and questions are now being asked as to whether United should move on from the former Ajax star.
The latest development in the saga comes as the Barcelona president has claimed the club wants to keep the midfielder and that he wants to stay.
Hence, Manchester United may be better off now turning their attention to potential plan B's and one of those may just be Napoli's Ruiz.
An accomplished passer of the ball who excels in moving the Serie A side forward in transition, he may just flourish under Ten Hag.
