A couple of years ago it was Wesley Sneijder. Last year we suffered Arturo Vidal. And this year the most protracted Manchester United move of the summer award simply has to go to Sergio Ramos.
The want away Real Madrid kingpin seems intent on leaving the club this summer and Manchester United appear desperate to bring him to Old Trafford – perhaps to form a new defensive partnership with Marcos Rojo.
And Spanish media outlet AS reckons:
Manchester United plan final €60m (£41.9m) bid for Sergio Ramos
The report goes on to suggest that the response from Real will be that they won’t even consider negotiating unless that figure reaches 90m Euros – or 62.8m of your earth pounds.
We have so far been big fans of Louis van Gaal and most of his methods. But if he and the club are prepared to spend that sort of cash on a 29 year old, then perhaps he’s not the best man to manage the team after all.
Because, regardless of how good a player Ramos is, with little to no sell on value in a few years, this would be a ridiculous use of the company coffers. And we can only imagine what Sir Fergie would think about such an outlay on a player who may not be in his prime for more than one more season.
Manchester United would be far better off making a move for Nicolas Otamendi. He may not have quite the same influence as the Spaniard. But he scored 6 goals compared to 7 from Ramos last season and, at 27, would offer longevity.
With the stand off between Manchester United and Real Madrid looking set to continue we will probably be reporting on this one for a while yet.
