Liverpool have taken a liking to Napoli's Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz, but face stiff competition from the La Liga giants.
Napoli beat Liverpool 2-0 last night at the Stadio San Paolo, as the Reds began their defence of the trophy with a defeat.
At the heart of Napoli's impressive performance was their midfieler Fabian Ruiz.
Ruiz was player of the tournament at the Under-21 European Championship this summer, where he helped Spain to the title.
He has attracted interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, who have reportedly been keeping tabs on the player for a while now.
The young midfielder has been likened to legendary Barcelona midfielder Xavi, and Ruiz has expressed a desire to model his career on the Blaugrana great.
"I fell in love with football thanks to him," the 23-year-old revealed.
"He was a pillar for Barcelona and Spain for so many years and I dream of following in his footsteps."
