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Benfica have received an offer of €50 million for star striker Gonçalo Ramos that could have come from Manchester United, according to a new report.
Ramos was one of the breakthrough young stars of 2022/23, grabbing the world’s attention by scoring 19 goals in the Liga Portuguesa and by scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup when replacing Cristiano Ronaldo.
A clinical finisher with excellent link-up play and strong in the press, the 22 year old would seem on paper to fit the profile of an Erik ten Hag striker perfectly.
However, a prohibitive €120 million release clause has discouraged potential bidders so far, despite regular mentions of United’s and Paris Saint Germain’s interest.
Recent reports have suggested that the Eagles would be prepared to negotiate that figure down below the €100 million mark, or perhaps even as far as €80 million.
According to Correio de Manha, manager Roger Schmidt has begged director of football Rui Costa to let him keep his talisman as Benfica look to retain their Liga Portuguesa title next season.
Schmidt is of the opinion that “he would like to continue with the 22-year-old striker and believes that he can still be worth more than in the previous season.”
However, the outlet says that Schmidt has been informed Ramos will have to be sold if that €80 million bid comes in and that a €50 million plus bonuses offer has already been refused by the club.
With the article once again name dropping United and PSG, the suggestion is that the bid came from one of those two clubs.
Correio also say that “the president of Benfica believes that with the evolution of the market, the clubs that have shown interest, namely PSG and Manchester United, will approach the intended amount” of €80m.
The figure equates to £68.8m, which should be within United’s grasp, especially if Benfica accept that a portion of it is made up of variables.
With Harry Kane looking to be the impossible dream and Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt asking €150m and €100m, respectively, for Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani, Ramos’ price point looks extremely attractive and it is a transfer that would tick almost all of the boxes for United.
