"Sergio Ramos will leave Real Madrid..." says Josep Pedrerol
El Chiringuito host Josep Pedrerol gave his opinion on Sergio Ramos' contract talks and believes that it is difficult to see it being resolved.
El Chiringuito host Josep Pedrerol offered his opinion on Sergio Ramos' situation at Real Madrid and believes that the more time goes on, the harder it will be for the player and club to reach an agreement.
"He's going... " Pedrerol dramatically announced. "He's going, he's leaving... and the big question is when Sergio Ramos will come out and say that he is leaving - and where he is going".
Pedrerol seems very sure that Ramos' time at Real Madrid has come to an end. The player's current contract expires on 30 June and under normal circumstances, he would either have agreed terms with another club to join on a free transfer in July - or have already renewed with Real Madrid. However, it's been an atypical year and the circumstances are anything but normal.
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Extra expenses and less income
The economic impact of the coronavirus crisis has affected Real Madrid - maybe less so than others but nevertheless the club has lost a large chunk of its revenue from not being allowed to let fans into the stadium. According to the club's official figures, those losses, for the financial year, stand at 13% or 103 million euros. They've offset some of the lost revenue by selling players last summer or getting others either fully or partially off the payroll by loaning them out. But the pandemic could not have come at a worst time - in April 2019, Madrid took out a 575 million euro loan to remodel the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
Two factors, the current financial situation and Ramos' age (he turns 35 next month) meant the situation was complex to begin with but that he recently underwent surgery to clean up his knee complicates it even further. We won't know how well his knee responds until he has recovered and while Ramos has been fortunate to have avoided serious injuries throughout his career, he is now entering a stage where he will be more susceptible. As a rule, Madrid only offer one-year extensions to players once they are over 30. A recent example being Pepe, who was holding out for a two-year extension but instead was allowed to leave on a free in 2017.
One difference in Ramos' case is that he is the captain - although that hasn't stopped other captains (Hierro, Raúl and Casillas) from being shown the back door in the past. There has been no word from the club or Ramos - maybe they are waiting for the right moment to make an announcement, if a decision has been made to renew for one year, two years with a pay cut or to let the captain's contract run out.