The Spaniard caught the eye for the Serie A side last season following his move from Real Betis, before starring in Spain’s European Under-21 Championship triumph over the summer.
The Guardian reports that City have heightened their interest in the player after sending a scout to watch him in action during Napoli’s 3-2 win away to Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Ruiz has impressed under Carlo Ancelotti with his versatility and technical ability, but the Premier League champions aren’t the only team to have taken notice.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are both monitoring the 23-year-old’s progress and could challenge City for his signature.
Napoli met the midfielder’s buyout clause of €30 million last summer to bring him to Italy and are certain to demand a substantial transfer fee for one of their most prized assets.
Last week, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said: “I paid €30m for Fabian and he’s a fantastic player.
“If some of the European top clubs were to offer €180m we can start talking about selling him.”
Ruiz scored seven goals in 40 appearances across all competitions for Napoli last season, providing three assists.
He has started 10 of his team’s 11 games so far this season between Serie A and the Champions League, scoring once in a 4-1 victory over Lecce.
Ruiz earned his first senior cap for Spain in June and was named Player of the Tournament at the European Under-21 Championship after inspiring Spain to the title, scoring the opening goal of their 2-1 win over Germany in the final.
He played every minute of Spain’s two Euro 2020 qualifying matches this month against Norway and Sweden, setting up Rodrigo’s stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw with the Swedes.
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