Benfica needs to hang onto Goncalo Ramos

With the summer transfer window getting set to get into full gear, rumours continue to swirl that Benfica are listening to offers for their made in Seixal talent Goncalo Ramos. The 21 year old who seems to score whenever given a proper chance is currently linked to Jose Mourinho's Roma and Premiership side Newcastle with Benfica said to be looking in the €30M to €40M range to move on from the youngster.

Ramos came up through the Benfica system joining the Eagles academy during the summer of 2013 at the tender age of 12. The 21 year old was not given a real look with the main squad under the reign of Jorge Jesus who preferred to lean to veterans over molding younger players. The departure of Jesus at the end of 2021, finally gave Ramos the opportunity to show his talent with the main squad under the guidance of his B club manager Nelson Verissimo. 

Ramos went from regularly not being included in starting XI to an almost guaranteed option under Verissimo. The youngster ended up appearing in 47 games across all competitions in 2021/22, playing 2,447 minutes while scoring eight goals and setting up another four. Ramos thrives in the secondary striker role but could be used by new manager Schmidt in an attacking role from the midfield or as a first substitute from the bench when the club requires a goal and as a fresh pair of legs up front.

Benfica would be wise to learn from their previous mistakes in letting players go a tad too soon with the names of Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Renato Sanches coming to mind unless they were to receive a Joao Felix type of offer. With manager Schmidt preferring a 4-3-3 formation, the likely hood of the club moving on from Ramos is high but lets hope that Benfica go with a loan out of Ramos with no buy option as opposed to a sale and miss out on another big pay day from a star in the making.