What if PSG signed Fabian Ruiz in 2022 partly to get one over on Real Madrid? That is the surprising version of events put forward by Faouzi Ghoulam. The former Napoli defender claims Paris moved ahead of the Spanish giants, who wanted to sign the midfielder for free a year later. The deal allegedly came amid the heated Kylian Mbappé transfer saga.
Fabian Ruiz is now firmly established at PSG, but his move to Paris in the summer of 2022 may have had a much more intriguing backstory. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Ghoulam discussed the transfer of his former Napoli teammate, who joined the Italian club in 2018 under Carlo Ancelotti. According to him, Ancelotti later wanted to reunite with the Spanish midfielder at Real Madrid.
PSG reportedly moved ahead of Real Madrid
At the time, Fabian Ruiz had just one year remaining on his Napoli contract. Real Madrid were reportedly considering waiting until the summer of 2023 to sign him for free, but PSG acted in 2022 and paid around €23 million. Ghoulam believes the timing was no coincidence: “He went to France only because PSG wanted to get one over on Real Madrid.” He added that Madrid were heavily focused on Mbappé, who ultimately extended his PSG contract in May 2022.
Ghoulam went even further, claiming Fabian Ruiz was not initially a sporting priority for PSG: “PSG then moved first. Yet at the beginning, they didn’t want him, and he wasn’t playing.” It is a striking version of events, but one that remains Ghoulam’s account and has not been confirmed by PSG. Ruiz did experience an inconsistent start in Paris before gradually becoming a major player under Luis Enrique.
Four years later, the story has taken an interesting turn. The player PSG allegedly signed to frustrate Real Madrid has ultimately become one of the key figures in the Parisian project.
