Manchester United were last night facing an uphill struggle in their battle to secure Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid, with the 29-year-old defender thought to be tempted by a new deal at the Bernabeu in which bonuses would take him to the annual €10m (£7.1m) he has been demanding.
United's hopes of signing the player are not entirely lost, but Real's in-house TV station is preparing pieces for the announcement of a new contract, which seems more likely than not to be agreed.
Rancour between Ramos and the Real president, Florentino Perez, led to the player openly agitating for a move in June. United have retained hopes Ramos would provide some badly needed experience in central defence and that the player's discontent would bring their moves for him to fruition, despite a £28.6m bid being rejected by Real. Ramos staying put would be a blow, as United have also failed to secure Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund.
Such an end of the Ramos saga, which has been drawn out all summer, would also call into question whether David De Gea will leave for Madrid this summer. Real appear content with their two goalkeepers, Kiko Casilla, signed from Espanyol this summer, and Keylor Navas.
United's interest in the Barcelona forward Pedro is not under threat of Manchester City hijacking the deal, despite reports to that effect on the Continent. City are not interested in buying either Pedro or Real's Karim Benzema. Their focus is on Kevin De Bruyne, in a deal which is likely to cost €60m (£42.5m) with add-ons, which would take City to the £47m Wolfsburg are thought to be asking. – The Independent