Manchester United target and Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard wants to join this summer, but Erik ten Hag has to decide whether he wants him or another centre-back that he's also set his sights on.
How old is Benjamin Pavard?
Pavard, who is naturally a right-back, is 27 years of age so is currently in the middle of his prime years, and having started 27 out of 34 Bundesliga games last season, it’s easy to see why he’s such a regular feature and integral member of Thomas Tuchel’s first team squad.
The France international, however, will be out of contract in less than a year meaning that now is the final big opportunity for the Bundesliga outfit to cash in should they not want to risk losing their prized asset for free, and having established himself as their second best-performing defensive player during the previous campaign, he’s caught the eye in the Premier League.
Read The Latest Man United Transfer News HERE…
Back in July, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that the Red Devils had held preliminary discussions regarding a swoop for the player, but admitted that they weren’t alone in their pursuit with Manchester City and Juventus also eyeing him up. He said:
“News Pavard: Yes, Man City is a serious option for him as Guardiola likes him and his versatility a lot! But: Pavard has more concrete options as he definitely wants to leave Bayern now. Man Utd talks took place… and Juventus. FC Bayern bosses, expecting an offer soon.”
Are Man United signing Benjamin Pavard?
According to CaughtOffside, Pavard is "keen" to join Man United and is "open to leaving" Bayern Munich before the end of the summer transfer window.
However, Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo has also emerged as a top target with The Athletic reporting that he's been heavily tracked by scouts, and the former outlet state that the boss will therefore "decide soon" which of the two players he'd prefer to sign.
How tall is Benjamin Pavard?
Standing at 6 foot 1, Pavard possesses a strong physical presence both on and off the ground at the heart of Bayern’s backline which resulted in him averaging 2.5 clearances, 2.3 tackles and 2.1 aerial wins per league game last season, via WhoScored, but he is also capable of being a threat at the opposite end of the pitch.
The Maubeuge native, who pockets £82k-per-week, ranked in the 99th percentile for progressive passes, highlighting his desire to push his team up the pitch, and this positive attacking mindset saw him score four goals and provide one assist in 30 Bundesliga outings.
Pavard, who is an “underrated” defender according to his manager Tuchel, additionally has the versatility to operate in six different positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the backline and even three roles in the midfield, so he would be able to easily adapt to any formation changes that the manager makes and allows him to be flexible in his team selection, making him the perfect summer recruit for Ten Hag.