Barcelona's midfielder hunt ongoing, two approaches made on Serie A players

Barcelona have entered the race for Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who is being courted by Atletico Madrid and PSG this summer. However, the Spaniard is not their only midfield target.

The Catalan giants are seeking reinforcements to their midfield as Ronald Koeman is not happy with Miralem Pjanic and is ready to let him leave if they can sign a quality replacement.

According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Barcelona are keen to sign the Spanish midfielder and have made enquiries about his availability. Napoli chief Aurelio de Laurentiis is reluctant to let Ruiz leave, and has slapped a €60 million (£51.5m) price tag on the midfielder.

Ruiz still has two years remaining on his contract with the Serie A club but has rejected all advances from Napoli to extend his current deal. They are said to have offered him €3 million more in terms of wages, but the player is holding out for at least €4.5 million, which has seen him reject two offers thus far.

Atletico were the first to make their interest concrete with a formal offer last season, but it was rejected by Napoli. However, this season, they will have to contend with their La Liga rivals for his signature while Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be monitoring the situation.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are not putting all their eggs in the Ruiz basket. They are keeping their options open and have identified other potential targets if the Napoli midfielder is beyond their grasp.

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo is reporting the Catalan club's interest in yet another Serie A midfielder – Lorenzo Pellegrini of AS Roma.

The Italy international, who is currently preparing for his country's first match against Croatia in the European Championship on Friday, is high on manager Ronald Koeman's wanted list. Barcelona have already approached Roma about making an offer but have baulked at his €30 million (£25.7m) valuation.

Pellegrini has just one year remaining on his contract with the Italian club. Barcelona are keen to use that fact and bring down the asking price, especially if he is willing to run down his contract and leave on a free transfer next summer.

The La Liga giants will again have to beat out other interested clubs including Premier League big guns Liverpool. The Reds are looking for a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who rejected Barcelona to join PSG on a free transfer earlier this week.