Thomas Tuchel has got his eyes on Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao, as he plans to lure the Brazilian to Chelsea next summer.
Currently, Militao has just three and a half years left on his contract at Real Madrid, who are keen to open talks with the 24-year-old over an extension.
However, as gathered from AS, Tuchel has made a plea to Chelsea’s hierarchy to make a push to sign Militao during next summer’s transfer window.
Different Chelsea defenders are out of contact at the end of this season, with Antonio Rudigeramong them, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen, so Tuchel is looking at the club’s medium- and long-term plans by lining up potential replacements.
A Quick Question… Why does Tuchel want Militao?
Militao has impressed a whole lot at Real Madrid this season, following the exits of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos.
The Brazilian has developed a wonderful relationship with David Alaba at the back, which has been one of the core reasons behind Los Blancos’ impressive form in LaLiga Santander this season, with Real Madrid relaxing at the top of the table, four points ahead of second-placed Sevilla.
Real Madrid signed Militao from Porto in the summer of 2019 for 41 million pounds, however the Brazilian is said to be one of the club’s lowest earners with a salary of 2.5 million pounds a year.
Another option for Chelsea is Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, who came close to joining the London side last summer.
Eder Militao’s Profile
Since a first-team debut at boyhood club São Paulo at the age of 19, Éder Militão has enjoyed an increasing rise. It took him just a season to register himself at the heart of São Paulo’s defence, and only a few months later Porto won the race to sign the young Brazilian, reportedly beating off competition from a host of other European clubs.
A month thereafter joining Porto, he got his first international call-up, and after completing just one season in Portugal’s Primeira Liga – which included a run to the 2018/19 Champions League quarter finals – Real Madrid came calling.
Militão became the first signing of Zinedine Zidane’s second spell at the Bernabéu, though it was after the Frenchman’s exit in May 2021 that Militão’s portfolio and importance at the club grew most.
More so, in the same summer that Zidane left, Real’s two most senior centre-backs, Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane, left for Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, respectively, and in doing so, created a huge hole in defence.
When Carlo Ancelotti resumed as manager, it was time for Militão to step up as a first-choice pick at the heart of the Real back line. In keeping with the rest of his career, Militão swiftly became one of the key names on Ancelotti’s teamsheet.
