KEY POINTS

  • Kays Ruiz-Atil has left Paris Saint-Germain
  • Ruiz-Atil is being linked to a return to Barcelona
  • The 18-year-old has been dubbed the "new Lionel Messi"

A former Barcelona youth team star could be on his way back to Camp Nou.

Kays Ruiz-Atil hasn’t really reached stardom yet, but he is already a highly-regarded player in Europe.

The teenage phenom has recently departed Paris Saint-Germain, and just days after his announcement on social media, Ruiz-Atil is now linked to a return to his boyhood club Barcelona, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reported.

Despite successfully making it to PSG’s senior squad, the report said that Ruiz-Atil is likely to join the Barcelona B squad “next year” with a chance to be promoted to the first team.

Aside from Barcelona, English Premier League's Chelsea has also been keeping tabs on Ruiz-Atil’s situation.

An earlier report stated that the French-Moroccan wanted to follow his mentor Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, and the Blues were working on bringing the youngster to Stamford Bridge as well.

Thomas Tuchel manager of Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel manager of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park on April 10, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. Getty Images/Marc Atkins

Ruiz-Atil’s current contract with PSG is set to expire at the end of the season, but to this day, the club has yet to offer the La Masia product a fresh deal.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Ruiz-Atil expressed his gratitude to PSG, the club that “made his dream come true.”

“Here I learned everything,” he wrote. “ Here I made my dream come true by playing with the greatest players in the world and becoming a professional footballer."

“I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the members of the club,” the midfielder added. “The president, the staff, the various coaches that I have known since the start of my training, and all the people in the shadows who work every day within the club so that we can be in the best conditions.”

In the summer of 2015, Ruiz-Atil left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain and went on to make his first-team debut for the Parisians in September last year.

He earned the trust of then-PSG manager Thomas Tuchel who handed him six French top-flight appearances.

However, the 18-year-old struggled to find a regular spot in new PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino’s rotation and has not played a single first-team match since December.

At an early age, Ruiz-Atil has already convinced the European media that his game resembles that of Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

The winger earned the moniker “New Messi” due to his crafty ballhandling, effective usage of both feet, and savvy playmaking skills.

However, in the 2020-21 season, Ruiz-Atil didn’t manage to register a single goal and assist to his name. In addition, he only played a total of seven matches for PSG.

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