Manchester United’s pursuit of Brazilian defender Eder Militao is reportedly set to be complicated, with Porto poised to increase his release clause.
According to a report from The Sun, Portuguese heavyweights Porto are set to ward off Manchester United’s interest in defensive wonderkid Eder Militao by doubling his release clause.
Manchester United are on the lookout for defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window, following their troublesome start to the 2018-19 campaign. And the 20-year-old Eder has emerged as a transfer target for the Red Devils. Along with the Premier League giants, European champions Real Madrid too are believed to be monitoring the youngster.
Porto president Pinto da Costa acknowledged the interest in Eder from across Europe, before claiming that the club are looking to increase his release clause at the earliest possible. Speaking to the media, Da Costa said, “There was talk of one or two clubs. There is a termination clause, we are trying to negotiate to renew the contract and increase the clause.”
Eder came through the ranks at Sao Paulo back in his homeland of Brazil and made the switch to Porto only this past summer in a €4 million deal, signing a five-year contract that runs till the summer of 2023. Since moving to Europe, the 20-year-old has made a solid impression, chalking up 18 appearances for his new club, scoring once and setting up two more in the process.
The centre-back also broke into the Brazil national team earlier this year and made his debut for the Selecao in September, in a friendly encounter against El Salvador.
Eder’s current deal is believed to have a release clause in the range of £22 million. But, with the interest that he is attracting following his promising start to life at Porto, the club are intent on doubling it to £45 million, in hope that it would ward off his suitors. And in case it does not, the Portuguese giants would at least be making a huge profit on the defender.
Manchester United, of late, have been linked with a move for Serbian international Nikola Milenkovic, while a number of other names such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Toby Alderweireld have also been mentioned.
While Eder looks like a player with immense potential, the Red Devils are in need of someone with more experience to resolve their defensive issues. As a result, a move in the January window for the Brazilian international, especially at an inflated price, does seem extremely unlikely as things stand.
