Following his lack of game time, Spanish and Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz along with his representatives will hold talks with club officials to discuss the possibility of a January exit from Camp Nou.
The 19-year-old has just managed three goals in 13 appearances. He has also found it difficult to break into the Barcelona first team. Also, the Spaniard has dropped down the pecking order with the club’s B team.
When Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele had prolonged absences due to injury this campaign, his fellow teammates in the club’s junior team, Ansu Fati and Carles Perez were instead promoted in their place. The youngsters have also gone on to make an impression on the coach Ernesto Valverde.
According to reports in Spain, neither Ruiz nor Barcelona are particularly happy with the current situation. In the summer the Catalan refused to loan the young striker out during the summer with the hope that the striker’s fortune will change. Four months after things just have not worked out.
It was learned that Portuguese side Sporting CP made a bid for Ruiz during the summer. Now it is said that there is no mention of whether the club would be interested this time around.
It seems Barcelona will send him out on loan in January, while a permanent deal with a buy-back clause is also suggested. Fillers from the club said that the Barcelona manager is not ready to completely give up on Ruiz.
The striker’s struggle to hold down a regular place for the reserves has left him adamant that he needs to leave the club in the next transfer window.
Ruiz told AFE in November that: “I want to be at Barcelona, but if you don’t enjoy the opportunities you want, you have to look for them elsewhere.
“Before, my decision was to stay in the B team and continue to grow as a player and as a person and wait for opportunities in the first team.
“I work day by day and go step by step; I think the secret is to grow little by little. The opportunities will come and you have to be prepared, which is what the kids in the youth system try.
“In the end I have always said that I want to be here at Barça and I want to grow as a player and as a person in this club because this is the club who have given me everything from day one.
“Whenever they trust me I will trust them and in the end it is true that if you do not enjoy those opportunities that you want, in the end you will have to look for them elsewhere and look for those minutes in these competitions.
“Ansu Fati? He is a very young kid, much younger than me even. I have been fortunate to have worked with him up close in La Masia and I have been with him for four or five years, even sharing a room with him and I am very happy.”
