Getty PSG attacker Kays Ruiz-Atil
Barcelona is reportedly set to bring talented teenager Kays Ruiz-Atil back to the club from French side Paris Saint-Germain.
The 18-year-old came through the ranks at Barca and was a La Masia prodigy tagged with the label ‘the new Messi’ after impressing as a playmaker during his time with the Catalan giants.
Ruiz-Atil swapped Barcelona from Paris in 2015 but is now a free agent and is “close to coming back” to the Catalan giants to play for the B team, according to Sky Sport journalist Matteo Moretto.
The youngster also seems to have dropped a bit of a hint regarding his future with a post on Instagram stories.
Ig story Kays Ruiz-Atil (PSG). [kays_atil]
Negotiations for the youngster are said to be “well on track” in a move that will see Ruiz-Atil head back to the Camp Nou. The highly-rated attacker was one of several starlets released in 2015 after the club was found to have breached FIFA regulations regarding the transfer of players under the age of 18.
Ruiz-Atil has already confirmed his departure from PSG. He wrote a goodbye post on Instagram on May 25, “I don’t know where to start but the adventure for me with PSG ends here … Here I learned everything! Here I made my dream come true by playing with the greatest players in the world and becoming a professional footballer Here I made proud my mother, father, family, friends … I hope you too! Here I became a man, I arrived here I was 12 years old, today I am 18!”
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What To Expect From Kays Ruiz-Atil?
There’s no doubt that Ruiz-Atil is a hot prospect and should fit in well at Barcelona having started his career at the club. The attacker joined the Catalan giants are the age of seven and grew up at the club’s famous La Masia academy.
The youngster went on to join PSG and made his full debut for the French club in a a 1–0 loss to Lens in September 2020. He went on to feature six more times for the Ligue 1 side but only as a substitute and struggled to make an impact.
Tor-Kristian Karlsen at ESPN has described the teenager as being “blessed with a wonderful touch on the ball and the vision and passing range to execute a precise through-ball” as well as being “no slouch at picking out deep runs from his own half.”
Barcelona B Youngsters Making An Impact
A move to Barcelona B would allow Ruiz-Atil to chance to enjoy regular game time and continue his development out of the spotlight. He would also have the opportunity to move up to the first team should he impress for Sergi Barjuan’s side.
First-team coach Ronald Koeman has already shown his willingness to trust in youth during his first season in charge. Ronald Araujo, Ilaix Moriba, and Oscar Mingueza all made the step up from the B team to feature regularly in 2020-21.
Barcelona B regulars Inaki Pena, Alex Collado, and Nico Gonzalez are also being tipped to join pre-season training and be handed a chance to impress Koeman which should demonstrate to Ruiz-Atil there is a clear path to the first team if he returns to the Camp Nou.
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