PSG have reportedly agreed personal terms with Seria A star midfielder with the Ligue 1 giants set to sign the Napoli midfielder despite interest all summer from Arsenal in the Spaniard.
According to L’Equipe, the 26-year-old has agreed to join the Parisian side, with only a transfer fee with Napoli the only missing step in PSG’s ploy to sign Ruiz, who this summer has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta seemingly a big fan of the Serie A star.
After signing Fabia Vieira and Oleksandr Zinechenko, the Gunners are still in the market for a central midfield, with a left-footed player seemingly what Arteta is looking for as a potential long-term replacement for Granit Xhaka, with Ruiz a player who fits this criteria down to a tee.
However, despite reports of a £42m move, the Arsenal target is now set to sign for PSG, with Ruiz set to become the latest smart transfer from Luis Campos and Christophe Galtier ahead of the new season, joining the likes of Renato Sanches, Nordi Mukiele and Vitinha, with Hugo Ekitike also signing for the French giants.
Indeed, Ruiz would have been a perfect signing for Arsenal this summer, however, PSG seem to have now won the race for the midfielder, and for the Gunners, they will have to reassess their transfer targets for the remaining month of the summer window.
Whilst sales seem to remain Arteta’s main port of call for August, missing out on the signing of Ruiz to PSG could be a big blow for Arsenal, especially with how well-suited Ligue 1 and Galtier’s football could be for the Spanish midfield maestro.
Ruiz has often been regarded as one of Europe’s most underrated central midfielders, and PSG beating Arsenal to the Spaniard’s signature is one impressive coup from the French side, who this summer have completely transformed their midfield.
Classy on the ball and a deadly passer as well as a silky dribbler, Ruiz will be a revelation in Paris next season, and for Arsenal, Arteta has missed out on an ideal signing that could have played a role in the Gunners’ squad for many years to come.
