Newcastle United’s pursuit for Benfica star Gonçalo Ramos is a story which dates back to the last summer, when the player was worth a lot less than he’s set to be in the upcoming transfer windows.
Besides the 14 goals the striker already has for the Eagles this season, he also scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the World Cup, and that was more than enough to put his price up.
Benfica president Rui Costa said at the weekend that no starters are leaving the club in January for less than their release clauses, and newspaper Record now features a story about it.
They name Ramos as one of the athletes who’ve been drawing big interest from European sides, with Newcastle included as one of the contenders for his signing.
The bad news for the Magpies is that the striker is protected by a €120m release clause. In fact, that amount could even go up, since he’s expected to sign a new contract with Benfica soon.
Another factor that makes him expensive is that Newcastle are not the only club following him, as the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint Germain and Wolverhampton Wanderers are said to be interested as well, although we doubt Wolves have the money to compete with Newcastle at this moment in time.
