Real Madrid: Discarding Eder Militao would expose Florentino Perez

Another day, another rumor in the White House. That seems to be the routine. Real Madrid will have to make a number of sales this summer in order for Florentino Perez to make a full push for Kylian Mbappe. We have a feeling Perez is hell-bent on acquiring the world’s most valuable player after selling Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilon last summer. Los Blancos are saving every cent. and that might not even be enough, especially after Mbappe’s hat-trick at the Camp Nou.

If Mbappe proves too costly, Perez has a “Plan B” who also contributing to three goals in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. But Erling Haaland is more than a backup plan. He is a certified Galactico in his own right. He would be cheaper than Mbappe, but a nine-figure transfer fee is not cheap either.

So Real may have to make some drastic sales. Isco is obvious. But a Luka Jovic here? An Eder Militao there? It could happen.

Selling Jovic two seasons after purchasing him for 60 million euros is not necessarily an ideal stroke of transfer business, but Perez will be OK to swallow that loss since Jovic’s place would have been taken by either Mbappe or Haaland anyway.

But Militao? Real Madrid should think twice about selling the Brazilian center back.

We keep hearing rumors about how Real are monitoring the best young center backs on the market. Jules Kounde is a generational talent in his own right, and he is at the top of the list. But even SC Braga’s David Carmo is on Real’s watchlist.

Eder Militao needs more minutes from Real Madrid

The question is, why would Real sign another center back when they can stick with Militao? Los Blancos spent a cool 50 million euros on the former FC Porto man in the summer 2019 transfer window, and he’s had a few promising performances, such as last season at San Mames and this season against Deportivo Alaves. Militao makes poor decisions at times, but he is great on the ball and reads the game brilliantly. He just needs minutes.

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If Real Madrid were to transfer Militao, they would not get their full return on investment of 50 million euros. And they would create more question marks at center back, since Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane do not have guaranteed futures with their contracts expiring in 2021 and 2022, respectively. David Alaba has not officially signed anything, and utility backup Nacho Fernandez is on the other side of 30.

In 2019, Real Madrid spent 110 million euros on Jovic and Militao. Selling two talented young players at a loss in the same window would be a major mistake, and it would basically seal the opinion of many Madridistas that Perez went into the transfer market with no clear plan. He signed young players that sounded good to him and never really valued him, nor did he consult with his manager on how they would fit.

With Jovic, you can make the case that setting him free and focusing on even better forwards is best for business. But in Militao’s case, would a new young center back really be in a different situation when it comes to their path to playing time? What message would it send to young players that Real are discarding talents so quickly after investing? Not a good one, that’s for sure, and that would have an effect on Perez’s quest to sign those talents in the first place.

Militao will come good. Real Madrid will have to make hard decisions this summer with the forwards if they want to afford Mbappe, but decimating the defense and undermining the developing talents is not the wisest of strategies. Moreover, it would cast Perez as uncertain and imprudent, which is not the characterization a president wants during a “Revolution” focused on attracting high-quality youth to the club.

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Because if Real Madrid sell Militao, they will be sending a horrible message: It doesn’t matter how good you are. We will not wait for you. We will randomly decide to move on and go for the next big thing in perpetuity. No successful club has ever operated with this mentality, and Real must be careful not to slide into this impulsive thought process.

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