Manchester United have been told that a bid of £58m will be enough to secure defensive target Sergio Ramos, according to The Sun.
The 29-year-old has proven an excellent servant to Real Madrid since leaving Sevilla for the Bernabeu a decade ago and is clearly a key member of Rafael Benitez’s first-team plans for 2015/16.
The Sun, however, points out that the Spanish international’s contract talks have stalled and this has given Man United renewed hope of landing the World Cup winner.
Louis van Gaal has spent well this summer and saw new additions Matteo Darmian and Morgan Schneiderlin put in fantastic displays on their respective Premier League debuts on Saturday against Tottenham Hotspur.
Memphis Depay and Sergio Romero also impressed in patches as Man United eased past Tottenham for an opening day win, whilst German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger came off the bench for a brief cameo role, in which he demonstrated his poise and composure in possession.
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Last season, United looked shaky at the back, with Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, and to a lesser extent Chris Smalling, struggling to string a number of consistent displays together.
Ramos is arguably one of the best defenders in world football, a player with extensive top-level experience, but is clearly not a player that will be available ‘on the cheap’.
Indeed, the £58m fee cited by The Sun would represent a world-record sum for a defender, and it remains to be seen whether van Gaal would stretch to bring in the veteran centre-back.
United have also been linked with Everton defender John Stones, with Chelsea also understood to be keen on the England international [Mirror]. While Stones too would not come cheap, he could surely be acquired for less than Ramos, and also has much more of his career ahead of him.