Manchester United have had a bid for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos knocked back, according to CaughtOffside.com.
The website claim that the proposal included Alex Telles as “part of the deal” but the offer was deemed insufficient by Ramos’s club.
Some fans on Twitter have questioned the reliability of the source, while others are hoping that the Red Devils return to the negotiating table and make another attempt to sign Ramos:
i doubt that’s true
— tpinsonformvp (@tpinsonformvp) July 12, 2023
I’d Love Gonçalo Ramos at Manchester United 🔥
— Soumyabrata (@its_aniruddha_) July 12, 2023
Please improve the bid
— bito (@bxtomufc) July 12, 2023
Source: Bro, trust me
— KISOBOKA 🦅 (@KisobokaRaymond) July 12, 2023
This is the striker i really want at united
— Vny (@OG_Vny) July 12, 2023
So why didn’t ornstein or fab say anything about a bid? Also weren’t we in for hojlund? This sounds like focusing on clicks.
— Justin (@JustinVerbon) July 12, 2023
Alex Telles plus £60 million
— Brunaldo (@musto120471) July 12, 2023
United may find it hard to match Ramos’s asking price
It should be noted that Ramos does have a €120m (£102m) release clause in his contract but Benfica president Rui Costa is believed to be open to selling the forward if they receive an offer in the region of €80m (£68m).
That is still a pretty high sum, though, especially for Erik ten Hag’ side, who are working on a limited budget during the summer transfer window.
They have already spent an initial £55m on Mason Mount, while they are closing in on a move for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, who may cost around €55m (£47m). It would leave them very short of funds in their pursuit of a new number nine and that is maybe why they offered Telles in their bid for Ramos.
Alternative transfer targets won’t be much cheaper
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund are known to be the two other options that United are pursuing.
However, Muani’s valuation is pretty similar to Ramos’s while, despite only being 20, Hojlund could fetch as much as €60m (£51m). The Red Devils may need to raise some cash if they want to sign one of them this summer.
