Manchester United want Sergio Ramos to state publicly his intention to leave Real Madrid in the hope of accelerating a deal, after the club’s opening £32 million bid for the defender was rejected out of hand.
Ramos and Real are also thought to share United’s desire for a swift resolution to avert the threat of the fall out overshadowing Rafael Benítez’s first games as head coach on the club’s pre-season tour to Australia and China next month.
The Spain centre half has spelt out privately his wish to leave the Bernabéu and for United’s interest to be taken seriously during talks with José Ángel Sánchez, the Real chief executive, at the club’s Valdebebas training ground on Wednesday morning.
Ramos is believed to have considered the possibility of releasing a statement on the matter and United hope that will soon materialise as they attempt to push through a deal and dispel any concerns that they are being used as a pawn in the player’s attempt to extract a lucrative new contract out of Real.
United have been given enough encouragement to believe that is not the case and sources close to Ramos have routinely indicated that he is a man of principle and that his conflict with Real stems from a belief that he has been treated poorly.
Ramos has been angered at attempts in the Spanish media to characterise him as a mercenary over reports that he is demanding a £3 million increase on his annual salary and believes the smear campaign is being orchestrated from within the club.
David De Gea is likely to hold the key to any agreement. Just as Real believe United’s £29 million valuation of De Gea is excessive for a goalkeeper who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford, so United are reluctant to meet the Spanish club’s £45 million price tag for Ramos, a 29-year-old with no resale value.
United value Ramos, who has two years left on a contract that includes a £129 million buyout clause, at less than £40 million and have still to receive a formal bid for De Gea. The £2.75 million six-bedroom house that De Gea rents in Bowdon, an affluent Cheshire suburb, was reported to have been put up for sale by its owner.
All parties are eager for a resolution, with Real flying to Australia on July 11 for the start of their pre-season tour and United travelling to America two days later for the beginning of theirs.
Real are to play friendlies against Roma and Manchester City in Melbourne on July 18 and July 24 respectively, before travelling to China to face Inter Milan on July 27 in Guangzhou and AC Milan on July 30 in Shanghai in the Guinness International Champions Cup.
The squad will return to Madrid to continue their pre-season preparations before flying to Germany for the Audi Cup, which is being hosted by Bayern Munich on August 4 to 5.
With Real making their first visit to China for four years, Florentino Pérez, the club president, is eager to avoid the prospect of a soap opera surrounding Ramos’s future detracting from the occasion.
According to
AS, the Spanish sports newspaper that is close to the Ramos camp, United have offered the player a net salary of €55 million (about £39 million) over five years.
As well as a central defender, Louis van Gaal wants to sign at least one midfielder and reports in Italy and Germany yesterday claimed that Bastian Schweinsteiger was moving closer to a £17.8 million move to United with Bayern reluctant to meet his new wage demands. Schweinsteiger, 30, is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at the Allianz Arena.
United are also in pole position to sign Morgan Schneiderlin, the France midfielder, from Southampton although it was unclear last night if they are pursuing deals for both players or if Schneiderlin is an alternative in the event that Schweinsteiger opts to stay at Bayern.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/football/article4480402.ece