Now that Sergio Ramos has officially become a free agent, with his contract having expired at Sevilla, there is much speculation about where the Spaniard will go next. One can’t help that Manchester United will be strongly linked, given some of their recent history in the transfer market.
First they badly need a lot of help at central defender. Also, MUFC have a history of signing brand name players who are long over the hill and way past their prime.
The departing Raphael Varane is a classic example, and, just like Ramos, he’s a center back who made his name at Real Madrid.
The Sergio Ramos exit press release, issued by Sevilla just a couple hours ago, reads as follows:
“Sevilla FCย would like to thank Sergio Ramos for the commitment, leadership and maximum dedication that he has shown in this campaign, wishing him the best of luck in his next professional challenge,” read the club’s statement.
“Sergio Ramos will say goodbye publicly this Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.ย in the press room of the Ramรณn Sรกnchez-Pizjuรกn, accompanied by the president, Josรฉ Marรญa del Nido Carrasco.”
Another reason a Ramos signing might be attractive to some United fans- he’s one of the all-time biggest villains to the fan base of Liverpool FC, United’s arch-rivals. His cut throat tackle on Mo Salah, which injured the Liverpool superstar so badly that it knocked him out of the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final and delayed his entry into the World Cup that summer with Egypt, has not been forgotten.
Of course, maybe things are different at United now that Ed Woodward is long gone. Perhaps Ratcliffe, Brailsford and the rest of INEOS won’t make moves like this anymore. Perhaps they know a lot better than to sign Ramos.
Where he goes next is unknown, but he has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer, with San Diego FC thought to be frontrunners.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes toย Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMGโs NFL Wire Networkย and theย Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.ย His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times.ย You can follow himย onย Linked Inย andย Twitter.
