Real Madrid are interested in striking a deal for Napoli midfielder Fabián Ruiz, and the Italian side hope to reach an agreement which would see winger Lucas Vázquez move in the opposite direction.
Fabián is high on the wish list of both Real and Barcelona, having enjoyed a number of stellar seasons with Napoli, but Los Blancos are thought to be pushing harder for his signature.
That’s according to ?La Gazzetta dello Sport, who describe ?Real‘s interest as ‘very serious’. It is believed that Fabián would take little convincing to head to the Santiago Bernabéu, but striking a deal with ?Napoli is not so easy.
Napoli are said to be looking for €60m, which doesn’t actually sound that bad in today’s market, but Real are looking to save money for their other moves, with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba also in their sights.
As a result, the idea of sending Vázquez in the other direction has been discussed. Napoli are on the lookout for a replacement for the ageing José Callejón, and they are believed to see Vázquez as exactly that.
?Mundo Deportivo add that Real would be open to letting Vázquez go this summer. Manager Zinedine Zidane is a huge fan of the winger, whose work rate has endeared him to the boss, but there is an acceptance that Vázquez is hardly the elite talent which Real need.
Another player who could move in the opposite direction is striker Luka Jovi?, who is thought to be nearing the exit door after an abysmal debut campaign in Spain.
The Serb is touted as a potential replacement for Arkadiusz Milik, although Napoli hope to use their striker as a makeweight in a deal for ?AC Milan‘s Franck Kessié instead.
Using a player in exchange is a smart move by Real. Not only would it save money, but it could make Napoli more interested in dealing with them. Fabián’s agent, Alvaro Torres, recently revealed that there are several top sides in for the midfielder, so Real need to find a way to stand out.
“Yes, Real Madrid is interested in Fabián,” Torres said. “Of course there are other important clubs in for a player who has played the last three years at high levels. We talked about these interests with Napoli, we told them.
“Now the boy is focused only on Napoli. In the summer, we will see.”
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