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Manchester United and Real Madrid interested in Porto star

Many top possession based teams look for strong, fast and versatile central defenders for the core of their side now adays.

As soon as Pep Guardiola took over at Manchester City he introduced the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi. More recently he has added the impressive Aymeric Laporte in attempts to craft a well-rounded defence. Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp famously brought in Virgil Van Dijk in the January window last year for £75 million. A sum that raised a few eyebrows but a sum that only a year later is looked upon as a bargain with Van Dijk repeatedly receiving praise and given the tag of ‘best central defender in the world’ right now. It’s clear to see what a difference he has made to a leaky Liverpool defence too.

So a confident, versatile defender is almost imperative for the top teams’ success, and it seems Man United’s bid to be amongst Europe’s best will come in the form of a new central defender. The Red Devils defence this year has been atrocious and only two clean sheets in 20 games, sums up their sorry season. Ole Gunner Solskjaer will look to patch up the holes and he could well look to Porto’s rising star – Eder Militao, according to reports in the Daily Star.

The 20 year old is making quite an impact in Liga Nos. His side lead the way at the top of the table, closely followed by rivals Benfica. The Brazilian has helped his side to eight clean sheets in only fourteen games, conceding just nine goals.  Since joining the club in August 2018 for a mere £3.6 million Porto had planed to increase his buy-out clause from £45 million to £68 million. But recent Express reports say that Porto’s attempt to renew the defenders contract have failed miserably; proving an opportunity for the Brazilian defender to leave Portugal.

Militao seems to have all the quality’s of a resolute defender. The 20 year old is known for making those vital last-ditch tackles and his notable speed and footwork allows him to avoid danger and play out from the back with a calm head. This is why the youngster has attracted so much interest. He seems confident playing out from the back, and for a defender, he is very well technically assured. When watching him play, it is clear to see that he has a fantastic range of passing, being able to accurately spray balls out from the back and this bodes well with his two assists from centre back this season. It seems he ticks all the right boxes, but with Porto asking for roughly £45 million – who will back the 20 year old to live up to his price tag?

Also eyeing a potential deal for the youngster are European giants, Real Madrid. The Spanish side have been left in the tracks of rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this season. Having won the Champions League in the summer it was notable that they were eyeing up La Liga. However, the departure of Ronaldo has simply turned their season on its head. 17 games played Madrid sit in fourth, having just kept seven clean sheets.



A new defender seems on the horizon for Santiago Solari’s side but can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lure the superstar to Manchester and keep him away from the European giants?

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