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The Madrid club, which sold England national team striker Michael Owen to Newcastle on Wednesday, used the received 25 million euros to acquire a defender - adding two million more to the sum the team was supplemented by 19-year-old player Sergio Ramos, who signed an eight-year contract with the royal club.
Negotiations for the player lasted until midnight - Sevilla did not want to sell Ramos and claimed to release him only if Real paid the redemption fee specified in the defender's contract, which the Madrid club did in the last minutes before the closing of the summer transfer market.
Acquired for 27 million euros, Ramos, who can play in the center or right back positions, is the sixth most expensive purchase in Real Madrid's history - the club paid more only for current team stars Z. Zidane, Ronaldo, and D. Beckham, as well as the recently left L. Figo and currently playing in Turkey N. Anelka.
Ramos joined the Sevilla team at the age of just 11, and when he turned 18, he had already made his debut in the national team. Interestingly, Ramos became the first Spaniard to join the prestigious Real Madrid club since the year 2000. Moreover, this is one of the rare cases in recent years when the attacking-oriented Madrid team strengthens its defense.
Meanwhile, Sevilla managed to find a new defender to fill the vacant spot - Serbia and Montenegro national team defender Ivica Dragutinovičius joined the team from Liege's Standard. The 29-year-old Serb signed a three-year contract with Sevilla with the possibility of extending it for another season.
