There has been a lot of discouraging news on the Sergio Ramos front, and it’s made Real Madrid fans unsure about the future of their captain. Despite an overarching feeling that Ramos’ importance and legacy with the club will lead to a favorable outcome, the noise has been hard for most of us to ignore.
But there is a recent report that should give Madridistas some hope that despite rumors of a deadline and an impasse regarding paycuts and contract length, there will be an agreement before the season comes to a close.
According to Tomas Gonzalez-Martin of ABC Deportes (report in Spanish), Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez have had “cordial” conversations. Gonzalez-Martin himself states that an “agreement is still feasible”.
Ramos is currently out with a knee injury that required surgery and will miss several more weeks. He has been missed on the pitch, but he will be back, and, hopefully, the solid center back duo of Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez can hold the line until Ramos returns so that the club remains in the Champions League.
Sergio Ramos has to pick his preference to stay at Real Madrid
We know how important Ramos is to Real Madrid in Europe’s top competition, so while Real have options in David Alaba and other players, nobody comes before Ramos. And those options, which include younger center backs like Pau Torres, are not cheap either in terms of transfer fee or wages. Alaba, for example, could make more money per year with another club than he would make at Madrid, which would be several more millions than what Ramos is set to make.
The situation with Ramos is this. He can either accept the two-year deal he wants, albeit with a paycut he does not want, or he can accept a one-year deal with paycut. That’s the compromise on the table from Perez and Madrid’s decision-makers, and it is up to Ramos to decide if he prefers the longer-term security of two years or the higher wages on a year-to-year basis.
Madridistas are a bit restless, since the prospect of losing Ramos would be devastating to the club, especially from a sentimental perspective. But it is reassuring to hear that there is no iciness between Ramos and Perez during these ongoing negotiations. Likewise, it is good to hear that a deal very much remains within reach.