Manchester United and Chelsea are in battle over a deal to sign highly rated Spain U21 international centre-back Jacobo Ramon from Como, according to Football Insider.
Barcelona’s La Masia academy has long earned praise for producing some of football’s finest talents, many of whom have become regular first-team players.
Although Real Madrid have fewer academy graduates and prospects in their current first-team squad, several players making a name for themselves at top clubs across Europe also came through their youth system.
Reigning African Footballer of the Year and Paris Saint-Germain’s fullback Achraf Hakimi, Lazio’s Mario Gila, Atlético Madrid’s Marcos Llorente, Bayer Leverkusen’s Miguel Gutiérrez and even Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard are among the more established players who developed at Madrid’s La Fábrica.
In recent years, the club has developed an even more exciting crop of prospects, including Napoli’s Rafa Marín, Fulham’s trio of Gonzalo Garcia, César Palacios, and Manuel Ángel, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Chema Andrés.
However, Como’s duo of Nico Paz and Jacobo Ramón are currently the most coveted former academy prospects, with the latter attracting keen interest from top Premier League clubs.
This is according to Football Insider, which claims Man Utd and Chelsea are keen to sign Ramón from Como in the coming transfer windows.
Combative centre-back
For United, the report adds that the Red Devils view the 6ft 5in centre-back as a viable option for their defensive revamp.
On the other hand, Chelsea are keen on Ramon as part of their ongoing efforts to recruit some of the best young prospects to Stamford Bridge, according to the report.
However, United and Chelsea will face stern competition from Real Madrid, who are well placed to trigger their £7.7m buy-back clause to re-sign the Spaniard, making the deal difficult for the Premier League duo, Football Insider adds.
Ramon, valued at £37m by Transfermarkt, has shown his ability to perform against a Premier League opponent after he marshalled Como’s defence and also scored in the 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over United last month.
Still, that game isn’t his only standout performance; it only reflects his consistency since moving to the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the summer of 2025.
In the ongoing campaign, he has played in all ten Serie A games for Como, averaging a sky-high 6.21 duels won, 3.53 recoveries, and 4.49 clearances per game, while also showing his exceptional on-ball qualities with a 91.5% pass completion rate and 124 line-breaking passes, according to FOTMOB.
With Madrid in the driving seat for Ramon’s transfer, it’ll be interesting to see whether Chelsea and United will remain relentless in Ramon’s pursuit or move on to other targets.
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