Legendary Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos has been linked with a shock move to Egyptian giants Zamalek.
Zamalek are said to be long-term admirers of Ramos, with talk of a potential transfer first becoming public ahead of their CAF Super Cup final win over rivals Al Ahly at the end of September.
Zamalek’s media coordinator Ahmed Shawky has since confirmed that the club had been offered the Spanish World Cup winner, but revealed his high salary demands have proved a stumbling block.
Shawky told ESPN (via talkSPORT) “Some agents and mediators offered the possibility.
“Of course, Sergio Ramos is a fantastic player who won everything with Real Madrid and Spain. He would be a massive player for any side in the Middle East or Africa.”
Discussing the financial barriers to the move, he continued: “There’s nothing concrete so far, and the player is highly valued financially.”
“It would be a massive boost for Egyptian football, [and would mean] more prestige for Zamalek and the league [if we can get the deal done].”
Shawky’s revelation comes just a week after another club official, Hany Shoukry, appeared to rule out the move for the same reason.
Shoukry, who serves on Zamalek’s board of directors, told OnTime Sports, as quoted by ESPN: “There’s been talk with Ramos in order for him to join Zamalek, he welcomed the interest and agreed to play in Egypt.
“The difficulty is really in the financial aspects and the amounts requested by the Spanish star. It’s the main reason for not completing the deal.”
