According to reports from Spanish newspaper AS, Manchester United have put in a second bid in the region of €60m for Sergio Ramos, after their opening €50m bid rejected by Real Madrid. 

The Old Trafford club wants Ramos to admit publicly that he wants to leave Madrid (AS relays this piece of info from The Times), which will help United to push hard with the transfer. 

In recent years, United have spent big money on players like Angel di Maria, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata, and the club will be looking to spend big this summer as well, as Louis van Gaal wants to sculpt the squad to his own taste. 

United have moved ahead of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to become the most valuable club in the world, as per Brand Finance, and they have over €250m to spend on new players this summer. 

James Ducker of The Times claims in his report today that United are prepared to play hardball over David de Gea. The club will ask for a fee in excess of £32.6m, which will make him the highest paid goal keeper in the world. 

United’s second offer for Ramos is still short of the Spanish club’s £46m valuation. The club feels the price tag is unrealistic for a 29-year-old with no re-sale value. Madrid also feel that United are demanding too much for a goal keeper (mind, he has been United’s best player this season) who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford.