Arsenal offered Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos a deal that would have made him their best-paid player but the Spain international put pen to paper with Paris Saint-Germain instead, as reported by Goal.
While no one can question the ambition of a side willing to invest £250 million in signings this summer, at times Mikel Arteta must feel as though he’s building a house on sand.
After missing out on European football for the first time since the turn of the century, Arsenal are operating with one hand tied behind their back in the transfer market.
Sure, unproven youngsters such as Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga would jump at the chance to join the London giants but, when it comes to established footballing superstars such as Ramos, it was always likely they’d have better offers.
And so it proved.
Why did Sergio Ramos turn down Arsenal?
According to Goal, Arsenal offered the four-time Champions League winner a two-year deal worth £15 million a season – his mammoth wages offset by the absence of a transfer fee.
That would have seen Ramos replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the club’s best-paid player, potentially taking home a staggering £280,000 a week.
That’s actually £5 million a year more than Ramos was earning at Real Madrid.
It’s safe to assume the 35-year-old doesn’t need the cash, however, and turned down the Gunners in favour of a club that will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Ramos signed a contract until 2023 with PSG in midweek, with one of the most decorated footballers in the 21st century slipping through Arteta’s fingers.
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