COMMENT: If Louis van Gaal and Sergio Ramos do shake hands in the coming days, then suddenly everything changes at Manchester United.
He may feel underappreciated at Real Madrid, but Ramos has been left in no doubt where Van Gaal and United rate him among the game's elite.
The numbers being mentioned in the Madrid press are staggering: United are prepared to go as high as €50 million to sign the 29 year-old - so making him the richest defensive transfer in the game's history.
Further, while he sits on a salary of €6 million at Real, United have offered him a five-year deal worth €11 million-a-season - or €55 million in total. And that's net.
David de Gea will eventually move in the opposite direction. And while many are questioning the terms involved - including former United captain Gary Neville - the sudden transformation of Van Gaal's defence makes clear why he's so eager to get this deal over the line.
Ramos' arrival would be another sure sign that the United manager will go with Victor Valdes as De Gea's replacement next season. Danish sources confirmed as much this week, stating that Anders Lindegaard had been informed he would be moving up a rung on the goalkeeper's ladder from third-string to Valdes' backup.
Having his goalkeeper communicate comfortably with fellow Spanish speaker Ramos will be vital for Van Gaal. And that both players are vocal and boast great organising ability will be welcomed.
A major criticism levelled at De Gea and United's current defence is that they're too quiet. Over the past two seasons, as Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra moved on, the lack of leadership amongst the back 'five' has been glaring.
The arrival of Ramos, at 29, and promotion of Valdes, at 32, would change all that. Two big locker room characters. Two leaders who have won everything there is to win in the game. Two players boasting the real footballing personalities that Van Gaal loves to have around him. This Ramos deal is the one to fast-track the manager's plans of rebuilding United into a title winning team.
At Real Madrid, if the deal can be done, president Florentino Perez will be quietly pleased.
It's no secret Perez, since his return to power, has been attempting to change the culture of the locker room and its relationship with the board and coach. The president feels the current leadership group has held too much influence in the club's decision-making and been obstructive in his attempts to build a title-winning squad.
The La Decima of 2014 was a respite, but didn't change Perez's thinking.
Ramos will leave - and in exchange will arrive David de Gea. Perez will be delighted. The United keeper's presence will force another locker room heavyweight, Iker Casillas, to look elsewhere.
In one move, Perez will have dumped two of his main antagonists, who he blames for the demise of Jose Mourinho. It's significant that while Perez has been silent when it comes to speaking publicly about Ramos and Casillas, he is never short of a positive word about the Chelsea manager.
Even more pleasing for Perez is that Ramos has asked for a transfer. In the fans' eyes, he's not forcing one of their favourites out of the club. It's all positive for the president.
With Rafa Benitez, 'one of their own', now head coach. And the old guard being dismantled. Perez is putting together a squad very different in character. The personalities of De Gea, Gareth Bale, Raphael Varane and Toni Kroos are a contrast to the Galacticos of the past.
Perez is quietly watering down the power of the locker room to lift up the coach's authority. After one Liga title in seven years, something had to give.
