Pep Guardiola has already shortlisted the players necessary in the summer to bolster his squad, with Sao Paulo defender Eder Militao a £20 million target for the Citizens.
According to Daily Mail, Manchester City are set for another summer of spending when the transfer window reopens. But, among the many players touted to be on the summer shopping list at Etihad, Sao Paulo defender Eder Militao’s name has propped up, with the player thought to be available for £20 million.
Eder Militao is largely unknown to people outside Brazil. The player progressed through the academy at Sao Paulo before finally breaking into the first-team in 2017. The defender is known for his versatility and has so far managed to rake in 52 senior appearances for Sao Paulo, with 5 goals to his name (statistics courtesy soccerway).
The defender is also capped at the under-17 level for Brazil and while he has been called up to the Under-20 squad, he is yet to make his debut for the under-20s. Militao has been rumoured to be on the radar of Portuguese giants FC Porto, who will now have to compete with Manchester City for the defender’s signature.
Manchester City spent lavishly on defenders in the past couple of transfer windows, bringing in Aymeric Laporte, Danilo, Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy in a total foray of over £150 million apart from a record fee to sign Ederson Moraes – the current first-choice goalkeeper at Etihad.
Manchester City have made São Paulo centre-back Éder Militão (20) a primary summer target. The £20m-rated player can also operate as a right-back and defensive midfielder. [Daily Mail] pic.twitter.com/dPkbVypw6s
— City Watch (@City_Watch) April 11, 2018
But, Benjamin Mendy had succumbed to a long-term injury while Danilo has only been used in spurts. With Manchester City shipping in 8 goals in their last 3 matches in all competitions, Pep Guardiola is looking to reinforce the defence and has made Militao a primary target for the summer.
Militao’s versatility could be one of the reasons for Pep’s interest in the Sao Paulo defender. The 20-year-old predominantly plays as a right-back but can put in a shift as the centre-back and in defensive midfield as well. As far as the right-back slot is concerned, Kyle Walker has been the first-choice for Guardiola, with Danilo the deputy.
And while Militao would not be getting a lot of minutes, Pep’s rotation policy combined with the 20-year-old’s versatility could see him gain a handsome number of senior appearances at City. Manchester City have been actively looking for a player to replace Fernandinho in defensive midfield, a position Militao could see a lot of his appearances coming from if he manages to impress Guardiola.
Sao Paulo reportedly value the player at £20 million, which would be no problem for Manchester City. Porto, though, could lure the 20-year-old with the promise of regular first-team football.
By the rumours, Manchester City do seem to be taking quite a keen interest in Militao. But the Citizens will have to either bump up the economical package or promise a certain amount of first-team time in order to convince Militao to leave Sao Paulo for Etihad, especially with Porto in the running as well.
