Contract talks between Real Madrid and captain Sergio Ramos are back on. According to ESPN, the two sides re-engaged in negotiations about an extension in recent weeks and are optimistic about making a deal.
The news comes just one day after Ramos scored his 100th career goal for Real in 3:2 Champions League win over Inter Milan. After the game, the club’s head coach Zinedine Zidane told reporters that he’s confident that the 34-year-old Spaniard will extend his stay with Los Blancos.
“He’s our captain, our leader, and of course we want him to be with us forever,” Zidane added.
Sergio Ramos’ current contract expires at the end of this season, and he has been engaged in negotiations about the new deal with the club for some time now. The issue was, however, that Real didn’t want to break their policy of not giving older players more than one-year deals. Ramos, on the other hand wanted a long-term contract.
The two sides ended up halting the talks in June, as the club was looking to assess the financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Once the projection was made, the Real opted not to get involved in any summer dealings, which included putting Ramos on hold.
The club’s strategy reportedly changed in recent weeks, as Real realized Ramos’ importance to the team and made his new deal a priority. There is now belief among both sides that the deal will be eventually done and that the star defender will end his career on Santiago Bernabeu.
Ramos joined Real in 2005 from Sevilla and went on to make 659 appearances for the club since then. He won 22 trophies while in Madrid, including five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues.
