As it stands, Real Madrid vice captain Sergio Ramos and the Los Merengues hierarchy are at loggerheads over a new and improved contract, which has seen the 29-year-old become increasingly unsettled in the Spanish capital, with wide speculation that a move to Manchester United is a distinct possibility.
Ramos has become somewhat of an icon for Real since making a €27 million move from Sevilla as a 19-year-old back in 2005, and was the only Spanish player purchased by Florentino Perez in the first Galactico era during his initial tenure as president.
The Spaniard has become an influential figure, evolving into a combative, versatile defender who is on the brink of 450 appearances for Los Blancos. While he did not have the official title as captain, Ramos is seen as the spiritual leader within the Real dressing room among Madrista’s, marshalling the Real defence and rallying the team when things seem all but lost.
A prime example of that was Ramos’s dramatic late header to save Real from defeat against arch rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final, forcing the game into extra time, where inevitably they went onto to lift the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time.
https://youtu.be/oQwWDBPe8Mw
Ramos’s current deal ends in 2017 and talks took place during the season for a contract extension. The alarm bells first rang in January, when Ramos was offered a new deal on a marginally lower salary, which was flatly rejected as the World and European champion feels he should be alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema among the highest earners at club.
Despite being a vital member of Real’s squad and serving the club tremendously over a long period of time, he is still only the seventh highest earner, even below new-comers James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, and it was reported that Perez does not value the defender as a six million Euro-a-year player.
Perez has a history of undermining Madrid squad members in years gone by, with names such as Claude Makelele, Angel Di Maria, and Xabi Alonso all being moved on by Perez despite their importance to the team to accommodate more glamorous signings, causing anger among Madrid fans.
The recent sacking of Carlo Ancelotti has seen tensions boil over between Ramos and Perez, who publicly expressed his displeasure of the Italian’s ruthless dismissal. This combined with his precarious contract situation has fuelled rumours that the three time La Liga winner could leave the club this summer.
Ramos has been linked with a move to cashed up Manchester United, who are in desperate need of a commanding central-defender as they look to become title contenders once more after finishing a lowly fourth last season. Ramos will represent a huge upgrade on the current centre-backs United have at their disposal, and it would also be a monumental blow to Madrid loosing arguably their premier defender.
A Real defence without Ramos has constantly leaked goals and lacked any sort of leadership or solidarity. New boss Rafael Benitez will be eager to retain the services of the influential leader, but at this point in time it seems as though the wedge between Ramos and Perez is out of his control.
There has also been talk of a potential swap deal involving cash plus United goal keeper David De Gea who has been courted by Real as they eye him as a replacement for Iker Casillas. The lure of De Gea and United’s clear need for a top class central defender could tempt both parties in making the deal seem plausible.
However, a major stumbling block for any team looking to sign Ramos is the staggering €200 million buy-out clause that was installed in his last contract extension, something that could put off potential suitors.
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The pressure is fair and square on Perez to loosen the purse strings and pay Ramos appropriately, or run the risk of loosing one of their most valuable assets who is practically irreplaceable due to the scarce amount of top class central-defenders currently in world football.
The interest from the Red Devils will no doubt force Perez to act, which could work in the favour of Ramos and his camp in their endeavours for an improved contract that would effectively see the Spaniard play out of the rest of his career at the Bernabeu. Ramos has previously stated his want to retire at the club and add to his already impressive resume of success in his 10 years at the globally-renowned giants.
It is not just about money for Ramos, its also about respect and appreciating for the blood, sweat, and tears his given to Real over a long period of time, and the way things sit at the moment, Perez runs the risk of shooting himself in the foot yet again, which could see all hell break loose among fans and players alike and derail Real’s season before it has even began.
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another real madrid player, using man utd to get a pay rise!