‘I can promise’: Arsenal told to pay club-record fee to land ‘incredible’ World Cup ace, amid reports

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Benfica president, Rui Costa, has insisted that World Cup star Goncalo Ramos will not be sold unless his release clause is met.

Ramos is said to be attracting admiring glances from a number of English sides. As well as Manchester United, Ramos has been linked this weekend with a move to Arsenal. Ramos was also linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer as well.

However, while a hat-trick in the World Cup has drawn even more attention to Ramos, former Portugal star and now Benfica chief Costa has said that unless his clause is met, Ramos will not be going.

“We have the sole objective of having a winning season, no player will leave – unless it is due to the clause – which at this moment is fundamental for the squad,” Costa said to 90Min.

“What I can promise our supporters is what I did at the beginning of the year. This is a sporting project, not a financial one. Fortunately, we are not experiencing financial problems and we have no need to sell players.”

90Min claims that reports from Portugal suggest Ramos’ release clause is over £100m. Naturally, that sort of figure will be enough to put off most clubs as it stands right now. Arsenal’s club-record buy is Nicolas Pepe at around £72m, which means Ramos – as of now – will cost some £30m more than that.

TBR’s View: Goncalo Ramos for £100m+ is ridiculous for Arsenal

Well, it is for the buying club. For Benfica, you can’t blame them for asking for such money and at the end of the day, that’s why they put these big release clauses in contracts.

For Arsenal, this one looks a non-starter if this is Benfica’s stance on Ramos. Over £100m is ridiculous money even for a proven player, never mind a young striker with a lot to improve on.

Ramos rightly made headlines in Qatar. But he was woeful against Morocco and that on its own will put certain clubs off.