Sergio Ramos to PSG a done deal
Sergio Ramos has agreed to a two-year deal at PSG and is set to fly to Paris in the coming days to undergo a medical.
As of midnight Wednesday, Sergio Ramos officially ceased to be a Real Madrid player. And by 6pm on Thursday, it became safe to say that he will be a PSG player next season.
This Thursday, his brother and agent René Ramos flew to Paris to negotiate the terms of the contract. And as RMC Sport has announced and AS can confirm, talks have already finalized, with Ramos set to sign on for two seasons at Parc des Princes after 16 brilliant years at Real Madrid. The 35-year-old centre back is now set to fly to Paris in the coming days to undergo a medical.
With his contract set to expire on June 30, Ramos was free to negotiate with any club from 1 January, as per UEFA regulations, but in the end the Spaniard wanted to wait to see if talks with Madrid could be resolved.
The Seville-born defender wanted a two-year deal but once it became certain that the club’s offer would not be extended beyond one year, he finally began speaking to other clubs, among them PSG, which was early identified as the favourite to land the former Madrid captain.
PSG concede to Ramos demands
Both sides had different positions going into talks: Ramos wanted a two-year deal, the same as he had demanded from Madrid, while PSG was initially willing to offer him a one-year contract with the option of a second year, which would be based on him fulfilling certain objectives. In the end, however, the club has conceded to give the player the two-year contract he was looking for.
At 35, Ramos is confident he can still play at the highest level for a few more years yet, and will try to show that next season in Ligue 1 alongside the likes of Neymar and (provided he is still there next season) Kylian Mbappé. In terms of salary, Ramos is set to earn close to what he earned at Madrid, around €10 million net per season.
PSG the best option for Ramos
Ramos had held informal talks with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, but PSG was by far the best option for ex-Madridista. Not only because he will be reunited with former teammates Keylor Navas and Anger Di María, but also because there are several of his Spanish compatriots in the squad, including Pablo Sarabia, Sergio Rico, Ander Herrera and Juan Bernat; while the fact that coach Mauricio Pochettino is a Spanish speaker will also be a plus-point. Above all, Ramos considered Paris the most suitable destination for his family, with a flight time of just one hour between the Spanish and French capitals.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City was also an appealing option for Ramos, where he would have also found several of his countrymen and a project to which he could adapt quickly. But apparently City’s Abu Dhabi owners never really committed to making a serious bid and eventually pulled out given the club is already well covered in the centre of defence.
PSG, on the other hand, was looking for a well-experienced centre-back who could be of service for a couple of seasons and mitigate the departure of Thiago Silva, whose exit marked the end of an era at Parc de Princes.
PSG is desperately trying to build a strong project for next season in a bid to convince Mbappé to stay. And the signing of Ramos, together with those of Gini Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma (the latter two not yet official but practically closed), could be enough to appease the club's star striker.