The Manchester United target Sergio Ramos has told Real Madrid that he wants to leave.

The defender held a meeting with Madrid’s chief executive José Ángel Sánchez at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground on Wednesday morning at which he confirmed his intention to depart and was told that the club would listen to offers.

Although Madrid did not provide the standard response, which is to demand that any interested clubs meet the €180m (£128m) buyout clause, they are expected set the bar prohibitively high – initially at least.

Neither Ramos nor Real Madrid have made any public statement of intent but privately their positions are now clear. Neither side backed down on Wednesday morning.

Madrid have made no move towards reconciliation or a renewed offer for Ramos to extend his contract, which currently expires in 2017, and nor did Ramos say that he was prepared to reopen negotiations.

The 29-year-old central defender has been at Real Madrid for 10 seasons since joining from Sevilla for €27m when he was still a teenager. He has played more than 400 games for Madrid and is their vice-captain.

Madrid’s willingness to entertain offers does represent some movement, and suggests that in truth they would not mind selling if the conditions were right, while the relationship between player and president Florentino Pérez makes peace improbable.

But a swift resolution is not expected and the outcome remains uncertain. Despite Manchester United informing them of their interest in Ramos and reports in Spain of them making a bid, Madrid are still briefing that they have had no offers for the central defender.

However, Madrid want the United goalkeeper David de Gea and have already had an initial bid believed to be in the region of €18m turned down, so it is not impossible for a deal to be worked out.