In the summer of 2022, when PSG drew up their summer target list, they included a number of big names. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva was reportedly in there. So too was Gianluca Scamacca, who eventually joined West Ham. With both players off the market, PSG turned to Ramos.
And in many ways, it made sense, as the Parisians needed a central striker. With Messi and Neymar no longer out-and-out goalscoring threats, and Mbappe insisting on having a No.9 to play alongside rather than be deployed there himself, Ramos, who had scored seven goals as a 21-year-old in the shadow of Darwin Nunez for Benfica, seemed an investment for both the present and future.
Campos, who had deep connections to Portuguese football, pushed for the move. But it never materialised, and the Parisians instead bought Hugo Ekitike — a talented but raw striker who had bagged 10 Ligue 1 goals for Reims the previous season.
That sequence of events eventually benefitted Ramos immensely. The forward was handed another year of development in his homeland, and scored 27 goals, leading the Primeira Liga in non-penalty goals, and averaging 0.79 non-penalty xG per 90 minutes.
But it was at the World Cup where he really turned heads. Portugal famously benched misfiring captain Cristiano Ronaldo for their last-16 clash with Switzerland in Qatar. In his stead, Ramos exploded, bagging a hat-trick that included a thumping near-post finish for one of the goals of the tournament.
That showing made him one of 2023’s hottest transfer targets. At various points, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were all said to be interested. PSG, though, had already done the groundwork, and were always likely to beat the other interested parties.