Manchester United have reportedly sent scouts to watch Benfica and Portugal World Cup breakout star Goncalo Ramos, who has a release clause of around €120 million.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside), Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos has been on Manchester United’s radar for a while now and he has been closely tracked and scouted several times by the club’s recruitment team as new boss Erik ten Hag looks to bolster the striker department following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
While speaking exclusively to Caught Offside via his Substack column, Romano said, “Manchester United are considering many options, we know about Cody Gakpo but there are also others. They are still in internal discussions to decide the best option and then they will proceed. They had their scouts watch Gonçalo Ramos with Benfica many times, but the same happened with other clubs.”
The 21-year-old has enjoyed plenty of success up top as the sole striker for Benfica since he replaced Darwin Nunez, who left the club for Liverpool last summer.
He has been on fire for Benfica this campaign, registering 14 goals and six assists from just 21 appearances in all competitions, as well as shining in the Champions League, helping the Eagles remain unbeaten across all boards in the 2022/23 season so far.
His progress has grabbed the attention of Manchester United, but they may have to pay a premium price for him in the future after he announced himself on the grandest stage in style as he delivered one of the best-ever World Cup individual displays with an outstanding hat-trick for Portugal against Switzerland.
The Benfica man started in place of Ronaldo, which manager Fernando Santos stressed was a tactical decision rather than a disciplinary one, and made the most of his opportunity. He played an all-around game, sprinting off the ball, providing pressing triggers, and overall looking like a modern striker with exceptional poaching skills.
While it’s a shame that he couldn’t back up that scintillating audition with another match-winning display in the quarter-finals against Morocco as the Portuguese crashed out, he has done enough to showcase his skill set and catch the eye of onlookers.
Manchester United are set to dip into the January market for a striker reinforcement after Ronaldo’s departure left the club short of options. Although PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo remains a priority target for the club, the Mancunian giants are looking at a host of striker options, with Ramos being one of them.
United aren’t alone in the pursuit of the highly-rated star in January, but the big issue is that Benfica are not interested in selling their striker midway through the season, as the team are currently top of the Primeira Liga table, while they have advanced to the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
Recent reports have suggested that the player’s asking price has skyrocketed on the back of his impressive performances for club and country this season. Benfica will refer anyone interested to his €120 million buy-out clause in a bid to ward off suitors, with talks over a new, improved long-term contract already underway.
Ramos is under contract with Benfica until June 2026, so it’s likely that Manchester United might have to wait until next summer to make their move for the youngster.
