Chelsea are set to revive their interest in signing Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos but could face competition form Man Utd, according to Correio da Manha via Sport Witness.
The Blues’ spending spree is expected to continue again at the end of the season despite bringing in eight new players including Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, and Joao Felix for £323m last month.
Last summer, Chelsea splashed out close to £300m on 14 players including the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella, and Wesley Fofana under former manager Thomas Tuchel.
The West Londoners are in a market for a forward and have been linked with several players including Neymar, Victor Osimhen, and Evan Ferguson, however, the online news portal claims the Blues will step-up their attempts to sign Ramos next summer.
Potter’s side returned from the international break with an inspired performance against Bournemouth, but they have since struggled – winning just two from 10 games in all competitions this calendar year.
Chelsea have scored only 23 league goals this season and that’s five fewer than 19th-placed Leeds and three fewer than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, hence the need to bring in a proven goal scorer.
Reinforcement
Chelsea will look to rely on their good working relationship with Benfica after paying a British-record £106.8m to sign Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez on January transfer deadline day.
According to Correio da Manha, Ramos has a £105.6m (€120m) release clause, but Benfica are set to demand less for him as the minimum amount for the negotiation is around £88m (€100m).
Chelsea are now expected to step-up their attempts to sign Ramos but will face competition for his signature as the report says Manchester United are also interested in the 21-year-old.
The Portuguese was first linked with a move to Man United last month but the Red Devils opted to sign Burnley striker Wout Weghorst on loan as a stopgap following the exit of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Erik ten Hag is expected to bring in a long-term replacement for Ronaldo in the summer window and it appears Ramos is on the Man Utd bosses hit-list.
Ramos has racked up 31 appearances for Benfica in all competitions, scored 19 goals, and provided eight assists in the process. He was one of the shining stars at the 2022 World Cup, scoring the tournament’s first hat-trick in their 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the round of 16.
Read more: Report: Chelsea ‘promise’ to sign £88m international star with 19 goals
