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Manchester United have reportedly already agreed terms with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, which would see the defender earn a staggering €55 million (£39.1 million) over the course of five years at Old Trafford.

That’s according Carlos Forjanes and Agustin Martin of AS, who write that “the centre-back has already reached an agreement with the English club.” The piece goes on to state the aforementioned salary is well in excess of the €7.5 million (£5.3 million) yearly offer made by Los Blancos; it’s also noted that Ramos wants an annual wage of €10 million (£7.1 million).

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Forjanes and Martin also outline the latest when it comes to United’s pursuit of the Spain international defender:

Manchester United have already submitted a formal offer for Ramos at the offices of the Bernabeu for €45 million (£32 million). Madrid have rejected it and have valued the player at €90 million. They have never said Ramos is non-transferable. In putting a price on him, they have put the player on the market. Florentino Perez did not attend the meeting between Ramos and Jose Angel Sanchez at Valdebebas on June 24. It was there that the defender asked the club to listen to offers for him.

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While a valuation of €90 million (£64 million) for the 29-year-old is extremely unlikely to be met, if United have indeed already agreed personal terms with the defender, the prospects of this transfer coming to fruition seem to have been enhanced.

Although that would be at odds with Ramos' recent claims that he’s not been discussing terms with anyone, as we can see here courtesy of AS English:

The initial piece suggests the future of David De Gea is likely to be central to any transfer happening, with United taking a tough stance when it comes to negotiations.

According to Forjanes and Martin, the Red Devils have lowered their initial asking price for the Spanish stopper from €46 million to €35 million (£24.9 million) but only if Ramos comes to Old Trafford as part of the deal.

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“They will not do one deal without the other,” says the piece, meaning it’s likely this saga is set to rumble on throughout the summer. However, Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph thinks United may be using Ramos’ discontent to drive up the price for De Gea:

It’s tough to see Real relinquishing the services of a defender who has been central to their success in recent seasons. Ramos is not only a genuine world-class talent, but he’s a leader, an enforcer and scorer of crucial goals.

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His positive influence on his side can be seen here thanks to WhoScored.com:

The Spaniard would be a tremendous signing for United and could be a catalyst in the club’s potential rise back to the summit of English and European football.

But even if it meant not getting De Gea this summer, you suspect Real would not be willing to do business for anything other than a stratospheric sum of money.

Whichever team blinks first is likely to get the worse deal here, but from United’s point of view, Ramos’ volatile situation has become a useful bargaining tool.

If Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal ends up bringing him in, it’d be brilliant for the club. But if it’s not feasible, United’s own high demands are still more likely to be met when it comes to their star goalkeeper.