Barcelona missed out on signing Napoli ace three times

Fabian Ruiz has grown into one of the most reliable midfielders in Serie A over the past couple of years. The Spaniard left boyhood club Real Betis for Napoli in 2018 and has impressed heavily during his time with the Partenopei.

The 25-year-old has been a key figure in the side this season as Luciano Spaletti’s side are mounting a strong title challenge. And with his contract expiring in less than 18 months, clubs are certain to try and swoop him away from the Serie A outfit in the summer.

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Mundo Deportivo has revealed that Barcelona have tried three times to sign the Spanish international in the past only to come up short.

As per the report, the Catalan giants made their first move to secure Ruiz’s signing back in 2019, a year after he had joined Napoli.

Ernesto Valverde was the manager of the team at the time and had sanctioned a move, but the Partenopei president, Aurelio De Laurentiis demanded €80 million for the midfielder putting an end to any hopes of signing him.

The Blaugrana made attempts to bring in the Spaniard again in 2020 but they ran into the same wall again as De Laurentiis made outrageous financial demands, leading to the move being blocked.

Finally, it is claimed that Barça tried to bring in Ruiz again in the summer of 2021 when Ronald Koeman was in charge of the team. The ex-Real Betis man was not a priority target, but the club still attempted to secure his services.

But Napoli demanded a fee of €50-60 million for their midfielder, and the Catalan giants did not feel that valuation was fair, leading to the move not materialising.

Now that he is set to enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season, he could be available for a much more affordable price. Whether Barcelona have another go at signing the midfielder will be interesting to see.