The 21-year-old defender has caught the eye of a number of Europe’s top clubs this season, with Porto conceding just 12 goals in their 22 Primeira Liga games – eight fewer than the next tightest defence in the Portuguese top flight.
Marca report that Real ‘moved fastest’ in the race for the versatile defender, jumping ahead of the competition and reaching a point where only his signature stands between the club and their newest recruit – as they consider paying his €50m release clause.
Militao told the Madrid-based newspaper: “I’m shy, I don’t like to talk very much and it’s hard for me to do it in front of the camera. I prefer playing a thousand times more than giving interviews.”
Real have struggled at the back this season, conceding more goals than any other side in La Liga’s top seven as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane struggle to replicate the form which anchored a third consecutive Champions League triumph less than 12 months ago.
At just 21, Militao could be the man to anchor the defence at the Bernabeu for some time to come – with Real legend Iker Casillas, now playing with him in Portugal, saying this month: “He has a lot of quality and eager to learn. He only arrived at the club this summer but he has adapted really well and his versatility is key, he is a fundamental player for us.
“He is a good guy who is improving a lot in a short space of time, so he has a huge future ahead of him.”