Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Lucas Silva Rumours

The summer-long saga surrounding Sergio Ramos, Manchester United and a new contract looks set to finally come to an end soon.

The Real Madrid skipper is apparently on the verge of penning a new deal at the Bernabeu, which will be announced to great fanfare after Ramos' recent links with a move to the Red Devils, per Spanish outlet Marca.

The same report suggests that Ramos' 32-year-old centre-back partner Pepe has also agreed a new deal with Los Blancos, with the Portuguese international eager to end his career in Madrid.

However, rival newspaper Sport recently speculated that Pepe could be on his way out this summer, as he has only one year left on his current contract and is set to be usurped in the starting XI by Raphael Varane.

John Cross in the Mirror used the same reasoning to suggest that United boss Louis van Gaal may be tempted to pursue Pepe now that the Ramos signing is out of the question.

Pepe could be an ideal signing for Van Gaal, who needs an experienced centre-back to bolster his young, vulnerable defence, per Rafael Hernandez:

The speculation surrounding Pepe and Ramos will not go away until the duo have penned new deals—or until chief suitors United have signed a new centre-back from elsewhere.

With Bleacher Report's Andy Brassell suggesting Madrid need even more cover in the centre of defence, the first port of call from Real must be to make sure their current crop stay put:

A player unlikely to be staying put at the Bernabeu this season is defensive midfielder Lucas Silva. Signed from Cruzeiro back in January, the 22-year-old looks set for a season-long loan move to Sporting Lisbon, per Portuguese outlet O Jogo (via AS).

Apparently, Sporting boss Jorge Jesus is desperate to find a replacement for the injured William Carvalho in the centre of the park, and he sees Silva as the ideal option.

The Brazilian recently admitted that "going out on loan would be a good option for me", per AS.

And indeed, with the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to contend with, Silva is unlikely to break into Rafael Benitez's first team in the upcoming season, and he should benefit from playing regularly at Sporting.

There will be some concerns that Silva's departure could leave Madrid short of cover in midfield, but the long-term benefits of his potential loan move to Sporting could be significant.