All is not lost for Manchester United in their pursuit to land Real Madrid star defender Sergio Ramos this summer, as the unexpected late twist in the plot has just emerged.
Spanish radio station Cadena SER has reported that neither Sergio Ramos nor Real Madrid have yet reached an agreement over a new contract.
The Spain international is demanding €10m a year rather than the €8.5m that has been offered to him in the reported new mega deal, revealed by Marca just days back.
The recent development has also been confirmed by Spanish daily AS.
AS has reported that Ramos just "won't accept" the new deal if Real Madrid doesn't step up their offer of €8.5m per year for the player.
What makes it dicier is the fact that the player hasn't yet been approached by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, although the Real Madrid boss clearly knows about Ramos' €10m demand.
Their last meeting was during the club's preseason tour of Asia late last month. Ramos was present along with Perez, Real Madrid general director Jose Angel Sanchez, and Ramos' agent and brother, Rene.
Meanwhile, this recent development opens up the chance for Manchester United to go ahead in their pursuit of the defender. The 'Sergio Ramos to Manchester United' storyline has been one of the highlights of the summer transfer window, and there have also been various reports that a £63.7million bid was already accepted by Real Madrid from United.
This also opens up the potential swap deal involving David de Gea and Ramos. It was reported only yesterday that Tottenham custodian Hugo Lloris is shortlisted as a potential replacement for the Spanish custodian, in case the latter moves to Real Madrid.
And although Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal had earlier stated that Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been bought to fill in the boots of De Gea, it can be considered that Lloris, with all his Premier League experience, will be more suited to the English style of play.
