After a summer of speculation it seems the Sergio Ramos transfer saga is finally over.
After initially being reported as unhappy with the club following Iker Casillas’ departure, and by the clubs apparent unwillingness to adhere to the promise of a salary rise, following negotiations with President, Florentino Perez, Ramos has agreed a contract extension to stay at Real Madrid until 2020.
Manchester United had been interested in the player, making an official bid to the Spanish giants and offering a contract believed to be a five year, € 11 million per season deal. Their interest in Ramos was as a stand alone offer but was inevitably inextricably linked to Real’s pursuit of Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea.
De Gea, who is entering into the final year of his contract with the Manchester club, is said to be high on the shopping list of the Real Madrid hierarchy. Manchester United, have previous stated publicly that their goalkeeper is not for sale, but a fee in the region of £32 million is thought to be required for any transfer discussions to begin. With Ramos now staying in Madrid, the only option left on the table for Los Blancos is to offer a straight cash deal to secure the player now, rather than wait the 12 months to obtain De Gea on a free transfer, when his current contract with United runs out.
During the summer, Manchester United Manager, Luis Van Gaal, when asked about his interest in Ramos had coyly stated: ‘I cannot talk about rumours [about Ramos]. I have said already it’s a process and maybe Mr Ramos is in the process – you never know.’ Manchester United, in any deal for De Gea, were thought to want to include a part exchange including Ramos, satisfying their own need for defensive reinforcements.
Ramos has been become a symbol for Real Madrid since signing for the club from Sevilla in 2004. In his time in Madrid he has accumulated three La Liga championships, two Copa Del Rey’s, the Club World Cup, a European Supercopa, two Spanish Supercups and la Decima, the clubs tenth European Cup, won under Carlo Ancelotti in 2014. In the wake of Iker Casillas’ prolonged exit to FC Porto, Ramos had been made the club captain.
Real Madrid are set to hold a presentation on the 17th August to mark the occasion.
