Sergio Ramos confirms he wants to retire at Real Madrid during press conference

It had been rumoured that Ramos had requested a free transfer away from the club he has played for since 2005

Sergio Ramos held a press conference today to clarify his future at Real Madrid after it had been reported earlier this week that he had held a meeting with club president Fiorentino Perez and requested to leave the team on a free transfer. Perez had claimed that the club captain and his brother, and agent, Rene Ramos, had approached him and informed him that they had received a lucrative offer from China, but the team could not pay the required transfer fee because of financial restrictions there. However, during the press conference, Ramos was adamant that he remains loyal to Los Blancos and wants to finish his career at the club he has made over 600 appearances for and won four Champions League trophies with. He opened by saying: "It's been speculated about but I want to be clear about my future for the fans: I'm a Madridista and I want to retire at Real Madrid and finish my contract here." https://twitter.com/English_AS/status/1134125949711200256 Perez had said earlier in the week: "Sergio's is currently the highest deal at Madrid, before that it was Cristiano, and now we have a scale for our pay packet—the highest earner is based on merit, the same is true for Sergio. "He did not ask that we release him now, but I informed him that this plan for China was not possible, and the truth is that I love him like a son. "Rene Ramos [the brother and agent of Sergio] can tell you everything, we have a very close relationship, and Sergio is held in high esteem here. "We will not allow him to leave, we refer interested clubs to his clause—there is nothing else to say." That clause, if you were wondering, is a reported £171 million. I guess that might be the real reason he is staying put.