Liverpool keen on ex-Real Madrid defender who Spanish giants can re-sign simply
Liverpool are one of the Premier League clubs said to be interested in former Real Madrid defender Jacobo Ramon, who the La Liga club have a buyback clause for.
The Reds’ bid to retain the Premier League title is not going all too well this season. After winning it at a canter last term and starting this campaign with five wins on the spin, they dropped into the bottom half of the table, and are only fourth now – eight points behind third-placed Aston Villa.
Defensively, they have been below the clubs above them, which has not helped matters. They’ve conceded 28 goals this term, and there have been a number of games when their attempts to simply outscore the other side and not worry about conceding has come back to bite them.
Ibrahima Konate has not been the dominant figure he’s been billed as in the past, and Conor Bradley is now going to be out for the rest of the season with the knee injury he sustained against Arsenal, with surgery to follow.
As such, Liverpool are on the hunt for defensive reinforcements.
According to Caught Offside, they are one of the clubs who have scouted 21-year-old Como centre-back Ramon. Since December, they have been monitoring him closely, alongside Chelsea and Tottenham, while Newcastle, Brighton and Crystal Palace have also sent scouts to watch him.
Ramon, who left Real Madrid for Como in the summer, is believed to be a prodigious talent, and one of the most consistent performers for his club.
If Liverpool are any of the other interested clubs are to sign him, though, they will face some challenges.
Firstly, Ramon is contracted until 2030, so Como can request a large fee, and that will be inflated by the fact that Real Madrid are will receive 50 per cent of his sale.
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Real could also sign Ramon if they want to, as they inserted a buyback clause to his deal, worth just €8million (£6.9m).
Indeed, it might not matter how interested any club is in him, if Real see him as a player who can add value to their side, then it’s much easier for them to bring him back and make a decision than letting him go elsewhere before deciding they should have signed him.
English clubs must come up with offers ‘substantially higher’ than what they might want to, and that could be problematic.
READ MORE: Conor Bradley out for the season as Liverpool confirm extent of knee injury