Marcel Ruiz: Ipswich Town negotiating $10m deal for Mexican midfielder.
Ipswich Town are allegedly negotiating a $10 million (£7.4 million) move for Mexican international midfielder Marcel Ruiz.
According to Latin America transfer analyst Cesar Luis Merlo (465k followers on X), the Blues’ talks with Mexican club Toluca are ‘on the right track’. Ruiz, 24, has spent his entire career in his home country, making over 200 top-flight games with Querétaro, Tijuana, and Toluca. The latter won their 11th Liga MX title in May.
Ruiz started last week when Mexico defeated the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in Houston, Texas. His brilliant reverse pass set up Fulham’s Raul Jimenez for the equaliser.
Ruiz, who now has nine caps, will be looking forward to next summer’s World Cup, which will be hosted in part by his native country, the United States, and Canada.
Following their relegation from the Premier League, Town manager Kieran McKenna is aiming to overhaul his midfield this summer.
Following the departures of Kalvin Phillips, Jens Cajuste, and Massimo Luongo, his options in that department now include Sam Morsy, Jack Taylor, and returning loanee Cameron Humphreys. The Blues are said to have agreed a $9 million (£6.7 million) price for Rennes midfielder Azor Matusiwa.
The 27-year-old Dutchman graduated from the Ajax academy. Cedric Kipre, a former West Brom, Cardiff, and Wigan defender, is also nearing an agreement.
The 28-year-old will join on loan from French club Reims, with sources indicating that there will be an obligation to buy for €4.5 million (£3.9 million) if the Blues are promoted back to the Premier League in 2025/26.
As of now, Town’s only addition this summer is experienced custodian David Button (Reading, free). McKenna’s men are scheduled to head to Austria for a pre-season training camp on Monday.
My understanding is that, while Ruiz is on Town’s radar, no approach has been made. It’s clear that Ipswich, who have almost exclusively recruited from the domestic market in recent years, are casting a wider net this summer. Having access to Brighton’s Jamestown Analytics system again could have helped with this.
I’ve long assumed that the majority of this summer’s spending will be directed towards the midfield. It is conceivable to pay £10-15 million for two players in that position.
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