Sergio Ramos 'likely' to move to Manchester United, says former Real president

Real Madrid's star defender Sergio Ramos is likely to move to the Premier League to play for Manchester United this summer due to his deteriorating relationship with the club's hierarchy, the Spanish club's former president Ramón Calderón says in an exclusive interview with Newsweek.

It has been widely reported in the Spanish and British press that Ramos, a World Cup, European Championship and Champions League winner, is a summer target for Louis Van Gaal's side amid speculation that he is unhappy at Real Madrid. Now Calderón estimates that there is more than a 50% chance of Ramos leaving the club.

Ramos, 29, has a contract with the Spanish club for two more years and has a buy-out clause of €180m, making any move an expensive proposition for the Manchester club.

However, former Real president Calderón, who brought the likes of Arjen Robben, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fabio Cannavaro to the Bernabeu, says that there is an increasing chance of Ramos making the move to Manchester United because of his problems with current president Florentino Pérez.

Calderón says that Ramos feels that Peréz is painting him as a money-grabber in the Spanish press. He believes that Ramos is being punished by the Madrid president for showing support for former boss Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked by Pérez in the summer, and Madrid icon Iker Casillas, who is set to be replaced by a new goalkeeper in the summer.

"I hope that the chances of him leaving [Real Madrid] are not as high as I think," says Calderón. "But at the moment, I think it is much more than 50/50. Everyone is very upset with the president at this moment so if Man Utd comes in firm with the offer, they will have a chance."

"In regard to him staying at the club, it is clear that the situation is in a very, very bad moment," he adds. "He said to the club, accept offers, that is the first step. In my experience, when the player is in this position, it is difficult to keep him with you."

Calderón said he believes Ramos' potential move is due to the player's personal issues with the Real Madrid hierarchy instead of financial demands. "The relationship is broken with Real Madrid, I don't know if they can go back and try to sort it out. He is very upset at the moment, he feels humiliated in some way because they have tried to present him as someone who is only interested in money."

Before relations between the two deteriorated, Ramos had requested higher wages from Pérez, a demand that was rejected. United are now hoping to capitalise on the internal divisions by meeting Ramos' wage demands.

Spanish outlet AS reported today that Van Gaal is set to offer the Spanish center back a salary of €55m over five years to make him his marquee signing of the summer and one of the highest paid players at the club.

However, Calderón is certain that Ramos is not using the Manchester club to obtain a better contract at Real Madrid. "It's not like that, believe me," the club's former president says. "He's not using Man United to get more money, I know him well, I know the agent."

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