Sergio Ramos Told Florentino Perez Would Leave Real Madrid If Star Left Club

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez told Sergio Ramos he could not allow the centre-back to depart for Manchester United as he would then be forced to resign his post.

The defender has been embroiled in a summer-long transfer saga, which has seen rumours flying that Ramos was on his way to Old Trafford, with goalkeeper David De Gea moving the other way, per the Daily Star's Jeremy Cross.

However, no move ever materialised, apparently because Perez would not sanction such a deal for fear he would then have to leave his post as president, per MailOnline's Pete Jenson:

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Sources close to Ramos suggest that in heated talks held at the Ritz-Cartlon hotel in Guangzhou, China, last weekend the president admitted he would be forced to resign by angry supporters if he sold the club captain.

Perez was jeered at the Santiago Bernabeu during the send-off given to goalkeeper Iker Casillas and fans sang for him to resign and for Ramos to stay at the club.

That left the Real Madrid president in little doubt that he couldn't possibly sanction Ramos' move to Old Trafford so soon after having given another club legend such a shoddy send-off.

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Sport Witness pithily summed up Marca's report surrounding the clear-the-air talks recently held between Perez and Ramos:

And indeed, Marca has reported that 29-year-old Ramos has penned a new contract at the Bernabeu that will keep him at the club until 2020.

However, Jenson's report refutes that assertion, suggesting the Spain international is holding out for €10 million (£7 million) a season if he is to extend his current contract—which runs until 2017.

Any prospect of the newly named Los Blancos skipper moving away from the Bernbeu does seem to have disappeared, though.

Perez likely would have taken serious heat had he allowed Ramos to leave in the same summer as Casillas, as the former Sevilla man has been a stalwart at the club since 2005.

As the Mirror's John Cross alludes to, Ramos may simply have used the United interest as leverage in negotiating his new contract:

Either way, though, both Real and Ramos have seemingly got what they wanted and Perez remains in his post as president.