It’s been a busy summer at Old Trafford during what’s been a hectic transfer window for Manchester United so far, however, the Red Devils still have fine-tuning work to perform on their squad and Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard is the next big name on their recruitment radar.
The French international had been linked with moves to Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona since the end of last season already, though it now looks as though United are his likeliest next destination.
The 27-year-old has just one year remaining on his contract with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, and with 12 months left to run on his deal, negotiations with United should run smoother.
Benjamin Pavard to Man Utd: What’s the latest?
According to the latest reports emerging from Germany, Man Utd have already had one offer for Benjamin Pavard turned down by Bayern Munich, though their opening bid is expected to be the first salvo in several rounds of discussions.
Several outlets have even suggested that Pavard will “fight as hard as possible” to seal a switch to Manchester before the transfer window slams shut, though the buying and selling clubs are too far apart in their current valuations to make any agreement imminent.
Bayern have been aware of Pavard’s intentions to leave the Allianz Arena for some time with the Les Blues regular keen to seek out a fresh challenge after seven years with VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich in the German top tier.
Pavard – who can be deployed at either right back or centre-half, with the latter position his preference – is expected to cost in the region of £30m.
Harry Maguire key to Pavard’s United dream
Benjamin Pavard’s desire to move to Manchester United this summer is linked with Harry Maguire’s impending exit to West Ham, though the wantaway England man hasn’t yet formalised his switch to the Hammers.
Last week, Man Utd and West Ham agreed a fee of approximately £30m for Maguire, though a wrangle between the defender and his current employers over wages owed has held things up somewhat.
Maguire is set to take a massive paycut to join West Ham, however, with several years to run on his lucrative contract with Man Utd, the ex-Leicester man is angling for some severance pay.
That slight wrinkle is expected to be ironed out relatively soon however, with Maguire expected to officially complete his move to West Ham later this week.
Once Maguire’s exit is sealed, Manchester Utd’s pursuit of Benjamin Pavard should gather speed and the former Lille man could be ready to wear the famous red shirt by the time United meet Tottenham Hotspur on August 19th.
Benjamin Pavard isn’t the only defender United have been monitoring, however. Highly-rated Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo has also been identified as a possible option at centre-back and discussions with the player’s representatives have already taken place.
At 23-years-old, Todibo has the edge in terms of longevity over Pavard (27), however, the Bayern Munich defender certainly has the upper hand in terms of big-game experience and overall pedigree.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba has also been listed as a target, though Bayer Leverkusen’s €60m price tag for the Burkina Faso international could prove prohibitive.
