Barcelona are reportedly set to welcome back former academy ace Kays Ruiz-Atil on a free transfer, with the midfielder set to sign a three-year deal.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, teenage midfielder Kays Ruiz-Atil is on his way to Barcelona after his contract ran out with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. The youngster is expected to pen a three-year contract with the Catalan heavyweights.
Ruiz-Atil spent six years at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy between 2009 and 2015 after having joined the club from the Olympique Lyon youth setup. However, following the Catalans’ FIFA sanctions due to the illegal signings of underage players, the young midfielder moved to PSG, where he went on to make rapid strides.
Ruiz-Atil made his first-team debut for Les Parisiens in September 2020 in a 1-0 defeat to RC Lens in Ligue 1 under then-manager Thomas Tuchel. The 18-year-old went on to feature seven times in total for the French capital outfit. However, since December last year, he was frozen out due to the contract standoff, meaning he never played under current manager Mauricio Pochettino.
PSG made attempts to try and reach an agreement over a new deal with Ruiz-Atil, but none was forthcoming. Following that, the 18-year-old confirmed his exit from the club in a social media post towards the end of May. With his contract officially expiring on the 30th of June, he is now a free agent and is set to secure himself a return to Barcelona.
Ruiz-Atil had offers on the table from Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, while several German clubs had also expressed an interest in his services. In addition, there had also been links to Chelsea, where he would have reunited with former manager Tuchel. However, the midfielder chose Barcelona and is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Catalan giants as per the report.
Ruiz-Atil is set to link up with the club’s B team, where he will be groomed under the new manager, Sergi Barjuan. The midfielder will become another fresh face joining Barcelona’s B team following the acquisition of Ferran Jutgla earlier this month. An official announcement is expected in the next few days, the report adds.