Manchester United report: Benfica wonderkid on Red Devils radar for January
Manchester United are considering a mid-season bid for in-form youngster Goncalo Ramos
Manchester United could reportedly turn to Benfica youngster Goncalo Ramos in their search for mid-season attacking reinforcements.
The Old Trafford club have started the season with Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo alternating in the striker spot, but the pair have mustered just four goals between them so far.
A new man to lead the line is therefore expected to be high on the agenda come the January transfer window.
According to The Sun, Ramos has caught the eye of Old Trafford scouts and contact has been made with the 21-year-old’s representatives.
The Portugal Under-21 international has started the season in flying form, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances in all competitions.
Ramos is believed to be valued by Benfica at around £25 million and United will not pay more than that after splashing out more than £200m on new players over the summer.
The Premier League side could face competition from Bayern Munich though, as the German champions have also been keeping a close eye on Ramos.
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The youngster broke into Benfica’s first team last season, scoring eight goals in 46 appearances, including a strike against Liverpool in a 3-3 draw at Anfield in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Ramos has been the Lisbon club’s top dog in attack this season following the summer departure of Darwin Nunez to the Reds, and he’s started superbly.
The striker scored a hat-trick in a Champions League qualifying win against Midtjylland and netted again in the play-off round against Dinamo Kiev to book Benfica a group stage spot.
He’s yet to get off the mark in Group H after two games, but in the league he’s already notched four goals in six games.
Ramos is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt.
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Plans for January at Manchester United are already being drawn up but apparently depend upon the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
A replacement for David De Gea has apparently been identified, while Jude Bellingham is apparently on the radar. United are also in for Barcelona ace Gavi.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has been speaking to FFT about the influence of American owners and how they threaten "the fabric of the English game".
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.