Real Madrid hunting down Chelsea’s Ramires in January
Published:With Mesut Ozil gone and concerns over the long-term fitness of Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly keen to test Chelsea’s resolve by swooping for Ramires in January.
We’ve seen it plenty of times before. Just like teachers have their pets, football managers tend to have their favourites too and are often willing to re-sign them, even multiple times if necessary.
Now, in a move similar to that of Jose Mourinho when opting to take all-action midfielder Michael Essien to the Bernabeu a few seasons back, the new man at Madrid’s helm is supposedly intent on being reunited with Ramires.
The energetic Brazilian was one of Ancelotti’s signings during his two-year tenure at Stamford Bridge and after an indifferent start; Ramires began to win over Chelsea fans with his high-octane performances and willingness to get from box to box.
However, at the end of Ramires’ first full season, Roman Abramovich called time on Ancelotti’s Chelsea stint, despite the Italian having secured the club the Premier League and FA Cup titles the season before.
Fast forward to the present and the word is Ancelotti’s scouts will be deployed to keep tabs on Ramires, with a possible £15m January swoop being mooted.
Having lost Ozil to Arsenal and with regular midfield anchor Alonso plagued by injury and now in the final year of his contract, Ancelotti believes Ramires to be the perfect component for the
midfield engine room.
Nevertheless, prising the fan-favourite away from west-London may not be a simple exercise.
Mourinho has obviously taken to Ramires, having started him in every Premier League game so far and the stats back up just what an important player he has become for Chelsea.
Ramires has made the most tackles per game of any Chelsea player this season, scored three times and has one of the highest pass completion rates at the club.
If Chelsea are to win back the Premier League title – rated at 23/10 by Ladbrokes currently – then Ramires is a player they should fight extremely hard to hold on to.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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