Sergio Ramos ‘turned down Manchester City and a surprise offer from Arsenal worth £15m per season’ before signing a two-year deal with PSG… with veteran defender snubbing move to the Emirates over ‘lack of Champions League football’
- Sergio Ramos has signed for Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Real Madrid
- Ramos left as a free agent and a host of clubs from across Europe swooped in
- Arsenal and Manchester City both tabled offers, but Ramos turned them down
- The lack of Champions League action at Arsenal convinced Ramos to snub them
Paris Saint-Germain’s newest big-name signing Sergio Ramos turned down offers from Arsenal and Manchester City this summer, according to reports.
Ramos departed Real Madrid after his contract was allowed to run down, and a host of elite clubs from across Europe unsurprisingly tried to snap up the free agent.
Among them were the two Premier League sides, but Ramos ultimately snubbed them both – as claimed by Goal – to head to France instead.
Sergio Ramos turned down offers from Arsenal and Manchester City before signing for PSG
The veteran centre back has signed a two-year deal at the Parc des Princes, and he is said to have viewed the offer from PSG as one he simply could not rebuff.
However, for a little while at least Ramos’ future was firmly up in the air, and Arsenal and City looked to pounce by tabling packages they hoped would tempt him.
Goal’s report goes on to add that Arsenal’s contract offer was for two years and would have been worth £15million per season.
Ramos left Real Madrid after his contract ran down and a number of clubs swooped in for him
While Ramos’ camp were interested, the player himself was not – with the lack of Champions League football at the north London outfit proving a stumbling block.
As for City, their deal also would have ran until 2023. As part of it, Ramos would then have moved to MLS for three years with New York City, part of the same stable.
Once again, though, Ramos opted against the move, and PSG won the race.
He left the Bernabeu after failing to agree fresh terms. Madrid were unwilling to meet his request for a two-year deal, as they were only open to a one-year extension.
Mikel Arteta (L) and Pep Guardiola (R) were both keen to sign Ramos when he was a free agent
This has long since been club policy, and Madrid also reportedly wanted Ramos to agree to a wage cut to his lucrative £10m per season earnings.
But PSG were open to his desired contract, and Ramos will bank €12m (£10.3m) a season, with bonuses taking his overall salary up to €15m (£13m).
After putting pen to paper, Ramos said: ‘I am very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Ramos took one final look at the trophies he won with Madrid during his emotional farewell
‘It is a big change in my life, a new challenge and a day that I will never forget. I am proud to be part of this very ambitious project, to join a team with great players.
‘It’s a club that has already proven at the highest level with solid foundations. I want to continue to grow with Paris and help the team work to win titles.’
Owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi hailed Ramos as a ‘complete footballer’ and added: ‘He is a born competitor, a leader and a great professional.
PSG officially announced Ramos’ arrival on a two-year deal with a Twitter post on Thursday
‘His great experience and his ambitions are in perfect harmony with those of the club.’
Soon after the official unveiling, Ramos also took to Instagram to lay out his future goals in the French capital.
‘The best place to keep on dreaming, the best club to keep on winning,’ Ramos wrote. ‘We’re going to fight with everything we have for everything.’
