Sergio Ramos sacking would cost Florentino Pérez €25 million
The Real Madrid captain has the backing of the fans and his contract, which ends in 2021 and not in 2020 as is currently believed.
It has been a dark few days for Real Madrid. After having been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and Champions League and effectively put out of the running for LaLiga in the space of a week, reports of a fall out between captain Sergio Ramos and club president Florentino Pérez emerged on Thursday.
Tensions reportedly spilled over in the dressing room after Madrid’s humiliating defeat to Ajax on Tuesday, where an infuriated Pérez blasted the players for their lack of dedication and excessive time off, even calling their actions "disgraceful".
Ramos, who missed the game because of suspension, reportedly jumped to the defence of his team mates, accusing Pérez and his board’s poor planning as being the real cause of the the club's current woes. During the heated debate, Pérez is understood to have threatened to sack Ramos, to which the defender replied: “Pay me up and I’ll go”.
Ramos sacking would be a costly move
It is assumed of course that the Madrid president made an idle threat in the heat of the moment. But even if Pérez intended to sack Ramos, it would be a complicated move.
Aside from the certain backlash he would receive from fans for firing the team’s spiritual leader, AS has learned that the move would also be a costly one in financial terms, as Madrid would have to pay 25 million euros to buy him out of his current contract, which expires in 2021 and not in 2020 as is currently believed.
The central defender renewed his contract until 2020 in the summer of 2015, following what was the last time Madrid finished a season without a trophy in 2014-15. Manchester United were pushing hard to sign him, but ultimately he signed a five-year deal at the Bernabéu after tense negotiations.
And just a few months ago, the club quietly added another year to his deal on the back of his good performance, which will keep the 32-year-old at the club until 2021, at which point he will be 34. As such, it is highly unlikely Ramos will be going anywhere, even if Pérez really wanted that to happen.