If you happened to sleep through all of the World Cup action on December 6, then the name Goncalo Ramos might not need much to you. If you did watch Portugal’s match against Switzerland, though, you’ll know exactly why the soccer world is buzzing about the young striker.
Ramos, who plays his club football for Benfica, started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did he put in an all-around performance, but he scored a hat trick as Portugal cruised to victory. As you might expect, that has supporters around the world dreaming of their favorite club signing the youngster.
And, there is one glaring issue: Goncalo Ramos’ release clause.
Goncalo Ramos’ contract means that Benfica aren’t under pressure
One of the factors in a potential transfer is how much the original club needs to sell. If there’s financial pressure or a player is in the last year of their contract, the brass might bite the bullet to get some extra cash into the coffers.
Benfica, however, won’t be in that position.
From a contractual perspective, Goncalo Ramos is tied down until 2025 (h/t The Athletic). That means Benfica won’t be feeling the pressure to sell him at one specific time. If they don’t receive a reasonable offer in January, for example, they can wait until the summer. Should the bids still be unacceptable, the can could keep bouncing further and further down the road.
And at a club level, it’s also worth noting that Benfica are in the Champions League Round of 16 and have a comfortable tie against Club Brugge. While their finances haven’t been ideal over the past two years — you can check out an in-depth Swiss Ramble thread if you’re curious about the nuts and bolts — pushing deeper into European competition and sitting atop Portugal’s Liga Nos will provide a bit more financial cushion.
So, how large is Goncalo Ramos’ release clause? According to The Athletic, roughly $125 million.
And while it’s unlikely that any club is going to pay that sum, it means that Benfica do hold the ultimate trump card. Since there’s an established price already set, the Portuguese club can’t really be bullied at this point in time. They can simply point to the release clause, and should someone offer a sizable sum, maybe they’ll accept the bid. If it’s not satisfactory, they can try again next transfer window.
Given his obvious potential and the fact that Benfica, with all due respect, is a selling club, it’s safe to assume that Goncalo Ramos will be making a big-time move sooner rather than later. As things currently stand, though, that transfer will 1) be pretty price and 2) probably won’t happen immediately.