According to 90min, Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to sign Newcastle and Leeds target Goncalo Ramos in January.
What’s the story?
Well, it was something of a surprise not to see the 21-year-old end up in the Premier League before the September 1st deadline, with Leeds and many others shortlisting him as a target.
Southampton were also said to have held talks with Benfica over a deal for Ramos, while Everton considered a bid for the Portugal Under-21 international after he scored eight goals in all competitions last season.
Now, interest in the Benfica No.88 has gone up a gear.
According to 90min, Ten Hag wants the Portuguese wonderkid at Old Trafford in January, although the Dutchman faces competition from Newcastle and Bayern Munich.
It comes after Ramos himself went up a gear in Portugal this season, already matching his tally of eight goals from last term in just 12 appearances – he has also provided five assists.
Wolves were also said to have “made the call” to Benfica over the summer as they looked to add to their Portuguese contingent at Molineux, while Crystal Palace expressed an interest as well.
Manchester United, Newcastle & Leeds fighting for a gem
In our view, the aforementioned Premier League sides will kick themselves for failing to sign Ramos over the summer, as he seems to have upped his game significantly this season.
Now, they face paying a premium on the £25m mark Benfica currently value him at, according to 90min.
Make no mistake about it, Ramos looks to be a real gem.
Aside from his efforts at domestic level, the Benfica prodigy has also shone on the international scene, netting 14 goals in just 18 appearances for the Portugal Under-21 side.
As we saw in Darwin Nunez joining Liverpool for £64m over the summer, Premier League sides face paying a premium for exciting attacking talents from Portugal – if he keeps his form up, Ramos looks set to become the next expensive import on these shores.
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