Ruiz move points way for Jorginho

CITY are a step closer to signing Jorginho after Napoli confirmed the arrival of Fabian Ruiz, the midfielder widely believed to have been recruited as his replacement.

Napoli confirmed Fabian arrival from Real Betis on Thursday afternoon, with the transfer fee believed to be in the region of £26million.

The completion of his transfer should accelerate Jorginho’s move to City, with Napoli no longer worried about selling their star midfielder without having somebody to take his place.

Napoli signalled they are planning for life without Jorginho, 26, when they omitted the Italy international from their 23-man squad for a pre-season training camp earlier this week.

The Serie A side are heading north to Dinamo Folgarida between July 10 and July 30 to prepare for the upcoming campaign with new coach Carlo Ancelotti.

However, there was a notable absentee when the squad was announced on Monday as the City target was missing.

Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos last week suggested a deal could be agreed between City and Napoli for the player’s transfer at any moment.

“Manchester City are working to close the deal with Napoli - any moment could be the right one,” Santos said. “The player is in Brazil.

“I’m in my house in England, waiting for a call from [sporting director Cristiano] Giuntoli or [owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis. When it arrives, I will go to meet the leadership of Manchester City.”