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In encouraging news for Manchester United, Benfica have turned down Atletico Madrid’s offer of a cash plus player deal for the transfer of Goncalo Ramos.
Ramos is one of several big-name strikers considered by the Red Devils this summer, with new club captain, Bruno Fernandes speaking very highly of his compatriot.
Apparently, he has other admirers across Europe, including Atletico Madrid.
As Correio de Manha reports, Atletico have tried to prise Ramos away but so far have not met with any success.
Under Atletico’s proposal, Felix would arrive at Benfica, initially for a loan fee of €15m rising to €40m with the activation of a mandatory purchase clause.
Ramos would simultaneously move in the opposition direction, arriving in Spain at a valuation of €75m.
This would give Benfica an inflow of €35m – an amount they view as being too low for their prized asset, who they value at €80m.
This development will be very well-received by United, who maintain a strong interest in Ramos but have also been linked with Felix.
However, the €80m price tag – partly due to Benfica being liable for up to 20 per cent in commission payouts to Ramos’s present and previous agents, Jorge Mendes and Mohamed Afazal respectively – may complicate matters.
United have serious budgetary constraints to be mindful of, as the club must manage a £150m pre-sales budget.
They’ve already had an approach for Ramos turned down, when they too tried the player-swap approach, making Benfica an offer for cash plus Alex Telles.
However, the Portuguese giants turned this down, as did Telles himself.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Person have previously reported that United are interested in signing Joao Felix this summer. Felix is a versatile forward that can be used in a number of positions across the forward line, which would make him a valuable asset to have.
However, with the Portuguese international having endured a difficult time at Chelsea, where he scored an underwhelming four goals in 16 games, there will be significant question marks over his ability to thrive in the Premier League.
He has also publicly declared his interest in signing for Barcelona, however, the interest appears to be unrequited, leaving the 23-year-old in a tricky situation that could play to United’s advantage – if Erik ten Hag wants him badly enough.
United are also pressing forward with their interest in Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, which, at the moment, appears promising.
