Ten Hag 'tells Man Utd board' to sign €100m striker who idolises Ronaldo

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 1 Apr 2023 10:34 BST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag has reportedly told Manchester United to move for Benfica star Goncalo Ramos despite the club's interest in Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen.

United are in the market for a new No.9 this summer with Wout Weghorst having struggled to impress since joining on loan from Burnley, via Besiktas, in January, and 27-goal top scorer Marcus Rashford doing his best work from the left flank.

Ramos stole the headlines in December when he started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo before hitting a hat-trick as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 at the World Cup, and he could now be his long-term replacement at Old Trafford too.

READ: Man Utd given glowing Goncalo Ramos reference by Benfica coach Roger Schmidt

Ten Hag's 'go-ahead'

"Ten Hag has given the go-ahead to his signing," report AS. "But his arrival at Old Trafford will depend on who the new owner is. The operation would cost around €100 million, a figure very close to his release clause."

At 21, Ramos is eight years Kane's junior, and even at €100m he couold end up being significantly cheaper than Osimhen, who has top scored in Serie A this season with 21 goals with Napoli closing in on a first Scudetto in 33 years.

Ronaldo previously fell out with Ten Hag and United after an abject final season in Manchester, slamming the club in an unsanctioned interview with Piers Morgan before leaving for Al-Nassr in January. But Ramos remains a big admirer.

READ: Man Utd's SEVEN striker transfer options

"Cristiano Ronaldo is our leader," he said despite starring in his absence in Qatar. "He's the captain, he's the leader and we always look forward to playing side by side with him. He's my reference and an idol to many of us. Cristiano Ronaldo, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic - those players are my role models."

Ramos has scored 24 goals in all competitions for Benfica this season, assisting 10 more, and is currently valued at €38.6m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm.