da 888： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
da bet nacional： Barcelona have apparently been on a hunt for a good Luis Suarez replacement and according to reports coming from Don Balon, the big man himself has recommended Abel Ruiz as the ideal man for the job.
What’s the word, then?
Even though they signed Antoine Griezmann as their big summer reinforcement, the Blaugrana still want an additional striker to relieve their Uruguayan Pistolero when the time comes.
What does that exactly mean for the newly arrived Frenchman, we don’t know, but if Don Balon’s report is true, Suarez sees the 19-year-old La Masia student as his perfect replacement.
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Of course, they also mention the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Lautaro Martínez or the Norwegian Erling Braut Haaland but the young Spaniard is highly rated by his senior teammate.
And when we look at it from all possible angles, Ruiz certainly looks like the jackpot.
Made in La Masia
When we take a look at the other possible candidates Don Balon have listed, it’s difficult to escape the notion that Barcelona may likely have to splash the cash to land any of them.
After all, Mbappe alone could reportedly cost around €300m (£242m) according to AS who have cited Real Madrid as huge admirers of the young Frenchman.
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But Ruiz is an alternative with clear potential, who could ultimately save Barcelona millions. After all, we’re talking about one of the biggest prospects Spain has to offer and a youngster that has been, according to his own words in an interview with Sport, likened to Marco van Basten in the past.
The 19-year-old forward is also lauded to be a “striker who stands for his elegant style and his goalscoring ability”, having tallied nine goals and assisted three for Barcelona B so far and scored three and assisted three for Barcelona’s U19 squad.
But he is also versatile in the forward line as he can also be slotted on either of the wings.
In the 74 games Transfermarkt have in their database, Ruiz has played 16 on the left flank and three on the opposite side, which could be a huge addition for Barcelona.
We also shouldn’t forget that this is the same youngster who captained Spain’s U17 side who were crowned European champions back in 2017, so he’s also a leader in the making.
He scored an incredible 27 goals in 37 games for Spain’s U17 side, seven in four games for the U18 and seven in 18 games for the U19 team.
By all accounts, Ruiz is a star in making and Barcelona should definitely consider Suarez’s own recommendation and promote the kid in the near future.