Report: Sergio Ramos tells Real Madrid he wants out, targets Manchester United

Sergio Ramos wants to play for one team, and one team only. And it isn't Real Madrid.

Citing sources close to the Spanish defender, Sid Lowe of the Guardian reports that Ramos has informed the bigwigs at the Santiago Bernabeu that he wants to leave the club this summer, with Manchester United his desired destination.

Lowe explains:

United are determined to sign Ramos and made a bid prior to the player meeting Madrid’s chief executive, José Ángel Sánchez, last week, although the Spanish club continued to brief that they had not yet had any offers.

During the meeting, held at the club's Valdebebas HQ, Ramos confirmed to Madrid that he intended to leave and asked them to listen to offers. A conversation with the club's president, Florentino Pérez, followed but there has been no reconciliation. Neither the player nor the club have made any public statement.

Lowe notes that Madrid has now informed the defender, 29, that United has tabled a €40-million offer for his services, adding that Ramos' desire to jettison from the Spanish capital is genuine:

Ramos has two years left on his contract but negotiations for a renewal had reached a stalemate. He earns around €6 million a year, but this is not just a tactic designed to draw a better offer from Madrid. The relationship between Madrid and the player's camp is extremely tense and although it is impossible to predict how this will end, Ramos' determination to leave is real.

ESPN FC reports that United will not improve their latest bid for the Spanish international, which could pose an issue given Lowe's claim that Real Madrid has set the initial asking price in the €100-million range - Ramos has a buyout clause of €180 million.