The Real Madrid centre-back situation at the moment is a tough one for the club. Eder Militao, arguably their best, is out for potentially the entirety of the season. There are question marks surrounding Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Nacho Fernandez. On top of that, all three of them are past 30 years of age and not long-term solutions in the heart of defence.
Manchester United find themselves in a somewhat of a similar situation. Lisandro Martinez is out injured for what is believed to be an extended period of time. Harry Maguire no longer seems to be someone that the Red Devils can count on. Their other options there are Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.
Thus, it is no surprise that both Real Madrid and Manchester United are being linked with centre-backs. And they seem to have a common transfer target as well.
As reported by Defensa Central (via The Hard Tackle), Real Madrid and Manchester United are both keen on Antonio Silva. Both clubs have been keeping a close eye on the 19-year-old Portuguese international.
Manchester United interested in Real Madrid target
Silva currently plays for Benfica and despite being just 19 years of age, he has been a regular starter for them for some time now. So impressive has been his performances that he has made quite a few appearances for the Portugal national team as well.
Signing someone like Silva would have to be considered as a major coup for most teams around Europe right now. He looks set to be one of the best defenders in the world for the next decade-and-a-half to come.
Of course, it would take a significant transfer fee to sign him. Benfica have a reputation for being tough negotiators and they are not expected to let Silva leave for anything other than a significant figure.