Sergio Ramos could secure a Manchester United transfer this summer, according to several reports from Spain.
Real Madrid officially confirmed that their captain would be leaving the club a free agent on June 30th after 16 years at the Bernabeu.
This has immediately given rise to speculation as to where his next destination will be, with four names agreed by the Spanish press to be the leading contenders – United, Manchester City, Paris St Germain and Sevilla.
Marca, the major Spanish outlet closest to Real Madrid, mention United by name and do think the Premier League is a likely destination:
‘Sergio’s agent and brother, René Ramos, has knocked on many doors in recent months, practically all of the greats in Europe. Whether any have suddenly opened in recent days is unknown for now.
‘Could it be Italy, where taxation is attractive? The Premier League, where he already flirted with United years ago and where there are those who have linked him to Guardiola’s City?
‘PSG do not seem to be interested, in the same way that he is not seen in China either, despite the offensive he launched two years ago to go there for free.
‘And Seville? The return of the prodigal son, of whom he has always felt like a sevillista, no matter how much part of the fans were against him, where he has a farm and near Madrid, where for now his wife lives and works.
‘Although Monchi said it would not be easy just a few hours ago, who knows if he was playing a distraction.’
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also ruled out a return to Sevilla for Ramos last night, saying ‘Sergio Ramos will NOT join Sevilla. It’s never been an option, they’re not interested in Ramos and the comeback is not even considered.
‘He’s in talks with another club, not Sevilla.’
Sergio Ramos will NOT join Sevilla. It’s never been an option, they’re not interested in Ramos and the comeback is not even considered. He’s in talks with another club, not Sevilla. ⚪️???????? #Sevilla #Ramos #SergioRamos
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 16, 2021
But could that ‘other club’ be United? AS thinks so, although they seem more convinced about neighbours Manchester City.
‘The Ramos entourage has been in contact with City leaders for a long time.
‘The departure of Eric García and the possible departure of Laporte leave Pep Guardiola’s team with Ruben Dias, Stones and Aké as the only centre-backs.
‘Another possibility is United, a neighbour of the Citizens. It is an option that Ramos has always liked and currently they are also looking for a first-rate centre-back to accompany Maguire.’
Mundo Deportivo come to similar conclusions, putting United and City as the most likely candidates for his signature.
With Ramos’s centre-back partner Raphael Varane also close to a Madrid exit and also linked with United and PSG, the situation is a very hard one to predict. As Varane is French and has reportedly expressed a preference to join PSG, which could be why Marca report that the Parisians are cool on the idea of pursuing Ramos.
This would appear to leave United and City as the main players for the Spaniard, but even without Laporte, would Pep Guardiola feel it necessary to interrupt the excellent John Stones and Ruben Dias partnership? Is there not already an alpha male in that City defence in the shape of the Portuguese man?
It is all speculation at this stage, but if United were willing to match Ramos’s current £288,000 per week wage, it certainly appears that they could be very much in the running for a very prestigious signature.