Manchester United have identified Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos as a prime transfer target, according to Fichajes.
Ten Hag has identified Ramos as his number one transfer target in the final third of the field following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 21-year-old is seen as a perfect replacement for 37-year-old Ronaldo who has left the club short of options, and there have been claims that the Red Devils could enter the January market for a replacement.
PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo remains a leading target for the club, although he mainly operates in a wide position, and it is possible that both the Dutchman and a centre-forward could make the move to the 20-time English champions next year.
Ramos appears to have emerged as a prime target for Man Utd and the report says he’s available for £43m [€50m], so he’d easily within financial reach for the Premier League giants.
Manchester United believe that Ramos has the potential to become one of the top centre-forwards in world football in the near future, so they are targeting a move ahead of the January window.
Replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo
Ramos came through the youth rank at Benfica, making his first-team debut for the club in 2020. Since then, he has featured regularly for the the Portuguese side on 80 occasions, scoring 28 goals and contributing 10 assists.
This season, the highly-rated striker has 14 goals and six assists in 21 appearances across all competitions, including nine goals and three assists in 11 league outings.
Ramos is representing Portugal at the 2022 World Cup and has already hit the headlines after scoring the tournament’s first hat-trick in their 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the round of 16.
In the group stages, he only played 10 minutes but replaced Ronaldo in the starting XI against Switzerland and produced an impressive display.
As it stands, Benfica are unlikely to sell Ramos in the middle of the season as the team are currently top of the Primeira Liga table, while they have progressed to the last-16 stage of the Champions League and will face Club Brugge.
Ramos has a contract with Benfica until June 2026, having only signed an extension last October, so it may be difficult for Man Utd to get a deal done this winter. They may have to wait until next summer to get their hands on the youngster.
