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With Fernandinho seemingly heading to pastures anew ahead of an eventual well deserved retirement, Manchester City will be in need of midfield reinforcements in the summer.

Their reported chase of Manuel Locatelli points exactly in that direction, and with Phil Foden now being used more down the wing than through the middle, there might be a need for an extra body on top of the Italian (or whoever ends up replacing the likely departing Brazilian).

That man could be Fabián Ruiz, a player Pep Guardiola has liked for years dating back to when he was starring for Real Betis.

Now at Napoli, where he has been for the past three years, the 25-year-old could be on his way out, and Italian journalist Emanuele Cammaroto feels there’s a two to potentially four-way battle setting itself up for the summer.

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Writing for Napoli Magazine, he said: “Ruiz could be, with a lot of probability, the one to be ‘sacrificed’ in the upcoming summer, and it’s heading towards an auction between Real Madrid and Manchester City, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain ready to enter the scene. Ruiz isn’t renewing and Napoli won’t entertain offers below €60m”.

That’s quite a clear message then, although it remains to be seen if Manchester City will be willing to go that high for a player they were once able to get for around half that price.

It might entirely be up to Guardiola and how badly he wants Ruiz, or whether there are other, more affordable, targets out there.