Barcelona academy graduate to return after PSG spell

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are very close to agreeing terms for a transfer for PSG youth star Kays Ruiz. The player is in the city to sign his contract, and it could be announced soon. 

The news has also been reported by Matteo Moretti, and Ruiz already announced a month ago that he would be leaving PSG. So, his departure from the French capital has been an open secret for quite some time now. And the Spanish giants are his next destination. 

Ruiz posted a video on instagram recently, tagging Barcelona as the location, which further goes on to validate the claim that Barcelona are leading the race for him. PSG sporting director Leonardo did consider him for a contract extension, but ultimately failed to agree on a new deal with him and he is now set to leave the club for free. 

Under Thomas Tuchel, Ruiz got some amount of first team participation while that completely disappeared under Mauricio Pochettino and he was left to watch on from the bench. The 18-year-old operates as a central midfielder and will be the fourth free agent recruited by Barcelona this summer following Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay.

Incidentally, he played for the Barcelona academy from 2009 to 2015, and will be the second La Masia graduate to return this summer alongside Eric Garcia.

Ruiz is a press-resistant midfielder, and has brilliant vision of the game. He has great pace and flair, and is a playmaker by nature. His profile is similar to that of Gini Wijnaldum, and he could be perfect for the first team going forward.