Sergio Ramos Makes Surprisingly Well Timed Neymar Remark Because of Course He Does

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos appears to have tried to help his side conclude a deal for Neymar by publicly insisting that the Paris Saint-Germain winger is one of the greatest players in the world.

Los Blancos are battling with Barcelona to try strike a deal for the Brazilian, who is keen to leave France and return to La Liga as soon as possible.

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PSG's high asking price of €222m has slowed progress on the transfer but, speaking after his side's 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid (via Marca), Ramos made no secret of his belief in Neymar.

When asked for his feeling on the winger, Ramos simply said: "Neymar is a top player, among the top three in the world."

However, he did go on to insist that Real are strong enough without the PSG star, adding that there are plenty of options for Los Blancos going forward.

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"Talking about signings is a lack of respect for this great team. These things are always talked about at Real Madrid and even more so when the transfer window is open. Players must be cold with these things," Ramos added.

"We're going to move forward with those that we have. We all need to be connected. Reintegrating players like [Gareth] Bale or James [Rodriguez] is another solution."

It is believed that Real are in pole position to sign Neymar, thanks to their ability to offer a more appealing player-plus-cash bid than Barcelona can. 

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Rodriguez, Bale, Luka Jovic and Keylor Navas have all been suggested as potential parts of the deal, whilst 90min understands that Karim Benzemacould also be used as a makeweight in their attempts to sign Neymar. 

Los Blancos are even thought to be preparing the winger's unveiling ceremony, but there is still a long way to go with this one. The lengthy saga has taken up the majority of the summer, and it shows no signs of stopping just yet.