Sergio Ramos contract talks with Real Madrid still deadlocked

There appears to be no way back for Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid, with his glittering career in the Spanish capital likely to come to an end this month unless new contract talks can be resurrected.

The 35-year-old's relationship with club president Florentino Perez has progressively soured, with the pair having clashed on a number of issues over the past year - one of which was the club's decision to try and enforce 10% pay cuts on the players during the height of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Ramos was said to have influenced some of his teammates in their decision to reject the pay cut and, as a result, the club were forced to negotiate individually with the group and an agreement was reached in only some cases.

The four-time Champions League winner argued that the money being saved was going to be used in Real Madrid's attempts to bring Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe to the club and therefore he didn't think it was fair.

There's also been the small matter of signing David Alaba on a big-money contract from Real Madrid, which seems to go against the grain of Real being strapped for cash, as well as the Austrian being seven years Ramos' junior and a more than capable replacement in central defence.

Those issues have left leading Spanish publication AS to conclude that Ramos will almost certainly be severing ties with Real at the expiry of his contract, although Cuatro have stated that no decision will be publicly announced before 30 June - the day his deal with Real Madrid runs out.

Ramos is expected to announce his next move in a press conference, where he plans to tell 'his truth' and reveal his motives behind potentially leaving Real Madrid after an illustrious 16-year association with the club.

The Spaniard has been tipped to move to the Premier League, with Manchester United, whom he infamously used in 2015 as leverage to earn a new contract at Real with an increased salary, Manchester City and most of the 'big six' linked at some point. There's also been noted interest from Ligue 1 moneybags PSG.

Ramos' 2020/21 campaign was disrupted by a number of injuries, but he will have the summer to rest and recuperate after missing out on a place in Luis Enrique's 24-man Spain squad for the upcoming European Championships.

Should he leave Madrid, Ramos will depart as a legend of the club - having scooped up 22 trophies, including five La Liga titles, while playing over 670 games en route to scoring over 100 goals - a phenomenal record for a central defender.