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#2 Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund)
A few eyebrows were raised when in January, Dortmund opted to pay €18m to get the Swiss international from FC Basel. It is a fee that has looked like a bargain ever since the Nigerian-born star made his bow for the German giants.
Confident on the ball with an assurance that one would expect from an older defender, the 23-year-old has looked like a Rolls-Royce player under manager Lucien Favre.
Brilliant in the air despite not being the tallest defender (1.86 m), he is similar to Ramos in that respect. Like Ramos, he is aggressive in tackling and marking and knows exactly when to take one for the team.
His can-do attitude and fearlessness do not detract from his on-the-ball skills as he is excellent at bringing the ball out of defence. If signed, Akanji could provide the tenacity that has been a hallmark of Ramos' playing style while offering similar output in terms of being proactive and threatening from set-pieces.
It is unclear just how much Dortmund will ask for him. However, it is not expected to be anything less than €60m Given his potential, it could prove to be a deal as successful as the €27m that brought Ramos to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2005.
