Arsenal open talks with Paris Saint-Germain to sign £18.5m midfielder

Arsenal have opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Fabian Ruiz, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta’s side have not yet added to their squad in the summer transfer window, although they are close to completing a €50 million (£42.1m) deal to sign for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori.

Arsenal are understood to also be in the market for a new attacking player, as well as a new central midfielder ahead of the new season.

And according to Duncan Castles, last season’s runners-up in the Premier League have now made a move for Ruiz off the back of his excellent performances for Spain at Euro 2024.

‘Arsenal have initiated discussions with Paris Saint-Germain for Spain international midfielder Fabian Ruiz,’ Castles said on The Transfers Podcast.

‘The discussions are dependent, I’m told, on Arsenal moving a player out from midfield.

‘It’s likely that if they are to come to a agreement with PSG on a transfer fee that it will be structured in the same way as the deal they used to bring David Raya from Brentford last summer, in the sense of it being a loan with an obligation to buy a year later.’

Ruiz joined PSG from Napoli for an initial €21.5m (£18.5m) fee in August 2022.

The 28-year-old has struggled to secure a regular role in midfield since his move to the French capital, starting 21 games in Ligue 1 in his debut campaign, while under Luis Enrique last season, he started just 14 matches in the league.

However, Ruiz played an integral role for Spain at Euro 2024 and was one of the standout players in the tournament with two goals and two assists.

When asked about his future earlier this month, Ruiz told Le Parisien: ‘I know that my name comes up in every transfer window.

‘But I am good in Paris. I still have three years left on my contract and I still have lots of objectives to reach with PSG.’

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