Chelsea have surprisingly targeted Real Madrid’s Brazilian center-back Eder Militao for a summer transfer move. The news comes as a surprise since Chelsea were linked with other targets for summer, and suddenly Militao’s name has popped-up. According to Marca, Chelsea have set-up a meeting with Eder Militao and his agents to explore the possibilities of signing him in the summer. Moreover, Thomas Tuchel is also keen to add Militao to his squad.
Militao has become a crucial part of the Real defense since Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane left. The Brazilian has formed a solid partnership with David Alaba at the back helping Real remain atop of the league. Militao joined the Los Blancos in 2019 but saw the bench more often than the field due to Ramos-Varane partnership. But since both the defenders left last summer, Militao has stepped-up for Real Madrid.
Chelsea aggressively pursuing Eder Militao
Chelsea have become more intact defensively since Thomas Tuchel’s appointment. And the results have been quite rewarding. The Blues won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup with Tuchel’s defensive set-up. However, Chelsea’s Premier League campaign has been hugely disappointing since they failed to challenge for the title. Defensive frailties and injuries to important players ended Chelsea’s title hopes. Tuchel has now decided to add some quality to the defense with a number of targets identified.
The Chelsea boss highly rates Eder Militao given his stellar form at the mere age of 24. Tuchel feels Militao would be the foundation of the Chelsea defense for now and years to come. Eder Militao’s stats since last season also support the argument. Since the 2020/21 season only Militao became a regular starter with Real. The Brazilian has made 56 appearances for the club till now, keeping 22 clean-sheets. 15 of those have this season in 35 appearances, in which Militao has also managed 3.5 long balls and 2.5 aerial duels won per game. The Brazilian is a confident player on the ball too, with 60 passes per game and a pass accuracy of 89.4. Eder Militao is a center-back who ticks all the boxes of Chelsea and the premier league side direly wants him.
The Blues could face an exodus in the defense this summer
Chelsea’s urgent need in acquiring world-class center-backs is quite understandable since they could loose a number of defenders this summer. Antonio Rudiger, Andres Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are the three first-team defenders whose contracts are up in the summer. None of them has signed an extension yet and are ready to leave Stamford Bridge. In such a situation, Chelsea could be left with only three first-team center-backs. And to avoid such a problem, Chelsea have started identifying top center-backs for the summer.
No surprise that Eder Militao in the new entrant in the Chelsea list. Though Chelsea will do everything possible to extend Rudiger, Christensen and Azpilicueta, the top brass of the club feels it would be better to be ready for the opposite consequences. Militao is enjoying his time with Real and could be a little difficult to lure him. Moreover, his contract runs through the summer of 2025, which means Chelsea will have to splash a massive amount in order to sign him. Militao’s market value is on the rise given his scintillating form. Eder Militao currently has a market value of €60 million, but Chelsea should be prepared to shell out more as Madrid will demand a higher fee.
Though the deal looks less possible, never underestimate Chelsea’s Marina Granovskaia. Real should be wary of Marina since she was the one who locked Eden Hazard’s deal with the Los Blancos. Hazard had only one year remaining on his Chelsea contract when he joined Real Madrid for a fee of €115 million which would rise to whopping €171 million. Since the meeting is set, only its outcome will tell whether we see Eder Militao in the Chelsea blues or Madrid Whites next season.
