Real Madrid are making it hard to stay optimistic about Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid have not yet signed Sergio Ramos to a new deal, and as another week passes without positive news, Madridistas continue to fret over the future of their captain. Ramos remains a vital part of the squad and one of the best center backs in the world, particularly when it comes to his passing in Real’s build-up play.

The common belief among fans is that Ramos will stay in Madrid and won’t sacrifice a near-perfect legacy with Los Blancos. He means a lot to the club, and the club means equally that much to him. But has he felt disrespected by Real’s request for a paycut at the same time they have pursued David Alaba as his potential replacement?

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Ramos’ future, and El Chiringuito’s Josep Pedrerol reports (tweet in Spanish) that Real Madrid have taken a pessimistic view of what’s to come. Pedrerol relays that the club assumes the captain will leave the club.

That means the club believes Ramos will not accept the two choices they have presented to the No. 4. Ramos can either take a one-year deal with no wage cut, or he can accept the two-year extension that he wants – but with a paycut. He reportedly has until March to decide. The clock is ticking, if this is the case.

Sergio Ramos leaving Real Madrid is no longer unthinkable

Last month, it was unthinkable that Real Madrid would actually lose their club legend at center back. But as March starts to get closer and the likes of PSG and Manchester City potentially loom ahead, Ramos’ future is suddenly testing our nerves.

Optimism is the word of the day for Madridistas, but while it is the operative word that enables us to keep our wits, it is not easy to follow it perfectly in reality. The news that Los Blancos believe Ramos will leave at the end of the season does not help our optimism.

Los Blancos are quietly being linked to young center backs like Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano. Zinedine Zidane tried out Ferland Mendy at center back to great effect against Getafe. There are options. But with Raphael Varane heading into a contract year in his own right, there are just as many question marks as options.