Sergio Ramos more likely to leave than stay at Real Madrid

SPECIAL REPORT: The 29-year-old defender is determined to depart as he feels the club have gone back on previous promises over a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu side

By Alberto Pinero & Ben Hayward

When Sergio Ramos rose to head home a late leveller in added time against Atletico and rescued Real Madrid's Decima dream in May last year, he carved his name into club folklore. But just 13 months on, he now seems set for a dramatic departure.

With Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria sold last summer, Alvaro Morata moved on and coach Carlo Ancelotti sacked recently, the team that won the 10th European Cup for Real continues to be broken up. Club captain Iker Casillas is also on the verge of an emotional exit, but Ramos was a player expected to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu for many years to come.

Not now. Within the space of just a few days, Madrid have gone from negotiating a new contract for the Spain centre-back to discussing the terms of his departure. As things stand, Ramos is closer to the exit door than to a fresh deal at the club he joined as a talented 19-year-old for €27 million in 2005.

Despite the rapid change in developments, the defender's discontent has been brewing for some time with only two contract renewals in his 10 years at the club - Ramos last improved terms back in 2011. He currently earns around €5.5m after tax, a figure that places him in only the fifth-highest wage bracket at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo (€17m per year), Gareth Bale (€11m), Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez (€7m) and Iker Casillas and Toni Kroos (€6m) all earn more and even though president Florentino Perez promised to pay Ramos "whatever he deserves" after Madrid won La Decima, the Madrid chief has not delivered on his promise.