Barcelona starlet Abel Ruiz 'plans to snub' Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City to stay at Camp Nou
KEY POINTS
- Spain Under-17 striker has a £2.7m release clause in his contract at the Nou Camp.
- Juventus are also said to be monitoring his situation ahead of luring him away from La Masia academy.
Spain Under-17 striker Abel Ruiz is said to be determined to continue at Barcelona despite having attracted the attention of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus.
Mundo Deportivo says that the La Liga giants are also planning to improve his current contract in order to increase his release clause to ward off potential suitors.
Ruiz, 17, has garnered a reputation as one of the main jewels of the Barcelona academy since being recruited from Valencia in 2012.
The teenager also proved to be a revelation in the Under-17 European Championship played in Croatia last May, helping Spain to win the tournament after scoring four goals in six games.
The Barcelona starlet has started his participation in the current Under-17 World Cup in India in a similar form, netting a brace during Spain's 4-0 victory over Niger on Tuesday (10 October).
On Wednesday, AS said that Barcelona risked losing Ruiz to another European giant after revealing that his agent Sergio Barila had received several offers from some unnamed clubs trying to tempt his client to leave the Nou Camp.
Those offers are expected to increase if Ruiz keeps impressing at the Under-17 World Cup as the Spanish publication points out that his current contract at Barcelona includes a bargain €3m (£2.7m, $3.6m) release clause.
In the summer Jordi Mboula and Eric García left La Masia in similar circumstances after AS Monaco and Manchester City respectively met their exit clauses.
However, Mundo Deportivo has now played down concerns of Barcelona fans regarding Ruiz after reporting that the forward won't follow the same path. They have confirmed that Arsenal, Chelsea and and Juventus have expressed interest in bringing the promising forward to the Premier League.
Arsenal have previously been successful in bringing players from Barcelona having acquired Cesc Fabregas, Hector Bellerin and Jon Toral from the La Liga giants' academy. But Mundo Deportivo understand that Ruiz has decided instead to continue at Barcelona and snub those offers.
The Catalan publications says that the teenager still has contract a at Barcelona until 2019 but the club are also expected to react to those offers by offering him a new deal with an increased release clause.
Mundo Deportivo points out that Carles Aleña also made the same decision in the summer when he signed a new contract at Barcelona despite having some offers to move away.
