Who is Goncalo Ramos? Man Utd and Newcastle eye £25m striker with ‘huge’ release clause

The summer transfer window came to a close on September 1 with Manchester United undergoing a squad overhaul under new manager Erik ten Hag.

A busy window saw the Red Devils boss splash the cash on six new first team players, including the £85m arrival of Antony from Ajax, while several stars departed, most notably Paul Pogba.

Despite the changes already made to the squad and United’s improved form under Ten Hag, which has seen the club win five of their opening eight games in all competitions, it seems the Dutchman is still eager to bolster their ranks in January.

According to the Sun, the Red Devils are interested in signing Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos in the winter transfer window.

The tabloid claims the striker is valued at £25m, a fee United are keen to not exceed with their pursuit of the 21-year-old.

They add that Ramos has been linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer and is also being monitored by Bayern Munich.

Ten Hag’s hunt for more firepower up top is a sensible move, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo struggling to find the net so far and Antony Martial playing just 45 minutes so far due to injury.

Marcus Rashford has been leading the line for the club, scoring three goals in the league so far, but has also suffered a muscle injury that left him out of their 2-0 Champions League group stage win over Sheriff last week.

Who is Goncalo Ramos?

Born in Olhao on 20 June 2001, Ramos is a Portuguese Under-21 international with 14 goals in 18 caps for his nation.

The 21-year-old joined Benfica’s academy in 2013 and has risen through the ranks, earning his first team debut last season after an impressive campaign with their B team the previous year.

He notably scored against the Red Devils’ rivals Liverpool in Benfica’s 3-3 Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield last season.

Current form

Ramos has been in fine form for Benfica so far this campaign, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances in all competitions and registering five assists.

He has started all of Benfica’s six league games so far and is averaging a rating of 6.92, according to SofaScore. The 21-year-old is proving to be a handful in front of goal with 3.7 shots per game.

How likely is the deal to go ahead?

The Sun claims Ramos has a £100m release clause in his contract, despite United only wanting to spend a quarter of that on his services in January.

If the Portuguese forward continues his impressive form, it’s likely the fee Ten Hag’s side will need to fork out will be higher than expected.

However, with the need for a striker in the winter window, and Ronaldo yet to find form, it’s likely that the Red Devils will do all they can to secure the signature of Ramos, especially with interest from other clubs.