Manchester United have made an opening bid of about £32 million for Sergio Ramos as they seek to exploit the Spain defender’s fallout with Real Madrid, and are also in pole position to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton.

United’s offer for Ramos, which was submitted in writing, came as the centre back underlined his intention to leave Real this summer during talks with José Ángel Sánchez, the chief executive, at the club’s Valdebebas training ground yesterday morning.

Ramos’s contract stand-off with Real has turned ugly in recent days because the player is convinced that he has been the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by Florentino Perez, the club’s president, since indicating privately that he would be prepared to leave the Bernabéu.

Despite the escalating