Manchester United and PSG are reportedly interested in signing Spanish centre-half Sergio Ramos, who is contemplating his future at Real Madrid.
According to reports from Spanish publication MARCA, as carried by the Daily Mail, Real Madrid captain and defensive mainstay Sergio Ramos is considering leaving the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, leading to serious interest in him from Premier League giants Manchester United and French champions PSG.
Ramos has been with Real Madrid since 2005, when he joined from Sevilla, and has gone on to attain legendary status at the club. The 33-year-old Spanish international has racked up over 600 appearances for Los Blancos, winning four La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies in the process.
The 2018-19 campaign was a bit of a mixed bag for the Real Madrid captain in comparison to his usual standards. Ramos finished the season with 11 goals from 42 matches in all competitions, missing the last seven fixtures with an injury, with the lowest point in the campaign coming when he had to watch from the sidelines as Ajax dumped the Merengues out of the Champions League.
The report claims that Ramos was unhappy with the reaction of chairman Florentino Perez after the game, with the club supremo confronting the players after the humiliation meted out by the Dutch champions. This is believed to be one of the major reasons behind him contemplating a summer exit from Madrid. This development has now piqued the interest of Manchester United and PSG.
Manchester United had to endure a forgettable campaign and have a major rebuild job at their hands heading into the next season. The centre-back department is something that they are looking to strengthen given that none of the defenders, barring Victor Lindelof, performed at the level expected of them.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly is believed to be the 20-time English champions primary transfer target, but the potential availability of a player of Ramos’ quality is sure to have caught their attention. Manchester United had made an attempt to sign the Spaniard in 2015, only for him to use their interest to get a new and improved contract from Madrid.
Along with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain have also expressed an interest in signing Ramos. The French champions have reigned supreme in Ligue 1, but have once again disappointed in the Champions League. And signing someone like Ramos, who has been there and done it on multiple occasions in the continental competition, could be a major coup.
Real Madrid are planning a squad revamp ahead of the next term and are willing to offload quite a few players to make room for the new signings. Manager Zinedine Zidane wants to keep hold of his captain and star defender, however, the club are open to a sale should an offer come along, with Ramos’ contract set to expire in 2021.
It could once again be a ploy from Ramos’ representatives to get him better terms at Real Madrid, much like the saga of 2015. But, if there is any truth to these reports, the 33-year-old, despite his age, could be a huge asset to both Manchester United and PSG, should either of them be able to sign him. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds in the coming weeks.
