Sergio Ramos stepped up to face the music and clarified his future. Yes, he received an offer to play in China and he had a meeting with Florentino Pérez, but he refused any intention to leave the club.
The center back clarified what happened in the past few weeks between himself and Los Blancos' president, including a number of arguments between the two, which escalated to the point where his future with the team was in jeopardy.
"There has been speculation about my future, and I want to say that I did not have any discussion with my inner circle, I want to retire here and I want to live up to my contract. I want to leave this lousy season behind and when I decide to leave, I want to leave the club on a high note, winning titles, which is something I believe to have earned," Ramos said.
Ramos admitted having a discussion with Florentino Pérez, and went into details to describe what were the things they talked about. Added to that, the offer to join a Chinese club created some turmoil between himself and the president, which he claims has been solved.
"The offer from China is on the table. The relationship between the president and myself was not on the best terms, but the thought of playing in China never crossed my mind. I never handed in a transfer request, like some of you guys have said," Ramos added.
The center back revealed details of his relationship with Florentino Pérez, who he described as his "father".
"We have a 'father-son' relationship, but who hasn't had a discussion with their dad? We just needed to sit down, re-establish that bond of love, and in an afternoon we solved our differences," the player stated.
Last, but not least, Ramos ruled out that he created this tense situation to sign a contract extension or to get a wage increase.
"This was not a strategy. I don't want to sign a contract extension or to get a better deal, I'm happy with what I've got right now. There was supposed to be talks about a new deal last summer, but nothing happened and we carried on without any problems. I'd play for free in this club if they asked me to," Ramos concluded.
