Man Utd in club-record bid to land Cristiano Ronaldo’s heir

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 10 May 2023 09:56 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s pursuit of a striker has led them to Benfica attacker Goncalo Ramos, according to a report.

United have been formally on the lookout for a No.9 on a full-time basis since Cristiano Ronaldo was released by mutual consent in November 2022, but even before then it was clear that manager Erik ten Hag wanted a different option for the role.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen have both been put forward as possibilities to make the move to Old Trafford, yet it is 21-year-old Ramos who Man Utd are ready to bid for, according to the Daily Mirror.

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The report states that the Red Devils are willing to offer between €80-115 million for the attacker, including add ons. This could potentially make Ramos more expensive than Paul Pogba, Man Utd’s record signing, who joined the club for the one they are plotting for €105m from Juventus in 2016.

Ramos has only had one season as Benfica’s leading striker option, having stepped up to replace Darwin Nunez in the summer when the Uruguay international moved to Liverpool on a bumper €100m deal, including bonuses.

The forward initially thrived but has found the going harder in recent weeks, not scoring in any of his last seven matches. This has led to speculation that he could be dropped.

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The next Ronaldo?

Nevertheless, the potential of the attacker is clear, with Ramos having been preferred to Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal in the latter stages of the 2022 World Cup.

Any deal, though, is likely to be dependent on the takeover over Man Utd, which remains in a state of limbo and is leaving Ten Hag frustrated as he is not yet clear on what his summer transfer budget may be.

Indeed, Man Utd are likely to be forced to sell numerous stars in order to fund bumper deals like the one they are plotting for Ramos