Why Bayern Munich Have a Chance of Signing Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos

Bayern Munich are reported to be keen on signing Real Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos at the end of the season. And while it is unlikely, they may just have an outside chance of enticing him to Germany.

Per Sport, intermediaries from the club recently contacted Ramos’ representatives to make their interest known. The 29-year-old is currently in the midst of contract renewal talks at the Bernabeu and is pushing for a significant increase to his salary.

It is highly probable that Bayern’s interest has been leaked in order to persuade Florentino Perez to give in to the defender’s demands. However, if the Madrid president does elect to hold firm, a move to the Bundesliga shouldn’t be definitively ruled out.

Ramos is generally happy at the Bernabeu and enjoys a very good relationship with the club’s supporters.

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Iker, Ramos & James went to thank the fans after the final whistle yesterday. #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/redpTzFswx

— SocialRMadrid (@SocialRMadrid) April 15, 2015"

However, as per J. L. Guerrero of AS, he is said to be concerned by the poor treatment of Iker Casillas, by supporters, and Carlo Ancelotti, by the club, so far this season.

Ramos may also wonder what more there is for him to achieve in Madrid in the wake of the long-awaited Decima success last year. He joined the club from Sevilla at the age of 18 and has spent nearly 10 years at the Bernabeu. The chance to take on a new challenge and experience another league could prove attractive.

And then there is the Pep Guardiola factor.

Ramos was part of the Madrid team who fought countless intense, and mostly losing, battles against Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona side. As a member of the national team, he will have heard stories from his international team-mates of what it was like to work under the Catalan coach.

“Many coaches make you do something, and you do it because basically they are your bosses,” Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique recently told Simon Kuper of the Financial Times. “But Guardiola would explain why. He made you understand the sport.”

At the time, it would have been unthinkable for Ramos to have joined Guardiola in Catalunya. But now, with geographical and temporal distance having opened up, there exists a possibility for him to work with one of this generation’s finest coaches.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

It was certainly one of the key factors in Xabi Alonso’s move from Madrid to Bavaria last summer.

“I have been playing against Pep for years so it’s been hard for us in the past,” he said in an interview with Adidas (h/t Inside Spanish Football) shortly after arriving at Bayern. “It was a big motivation for me to come here and get the chance to work with him.”

Sport reports that Guardiola is looking for a new central defender, and that he feels Ramos could be a good fit. The 44-year-old was able to persuade Alonso to ditch Madrid for Munich—“He showed a lot of interest in me coming here, and it was very important for me to feel that confidence from the coach,” Alonso told Marca last October—and would fancy his chances of enjoying similar success with the Seville-native if given an opportunity to do so.

The most likely scenario is that Ramos will come to an agreement with Madrid over a new contract and remain at the Bernabeu. However, for as long as a resolution is not found, Bayern will harbour hope of bringing the centre-back to the Bundesliga.