Solid defenders are in short supply these days and it is no surprise that when one becomes available, a pack of chasing teams forms.
The falling out between Benjamin Pavard and Bayern Munich has not been kept out of the public sphere and it appears clear that the French World Cup winner will depart Bavaria sooner rather than later. Most likely, he will try to force an exit next summer. With a deal expiring in 2024, Bayern would likely accept a sale in order to avoid losing him for free.
Speaking to Caught Offside in his exclusive column, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano explained that Pavard might be leaning towards one league more than another.
“Pavard was discussed with Chelsea last summer but was not top priority; now it’s normal that clubs are keeping info on him as Pavard is open to leave Bayern in 2023. He’d love Premier League move I’m told; but there is still nothing serious.”
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have both been linked with Pavard. The former have chronic issues in defence and a player like Pavard would go some way to helping them solve those problems. Asked to financially compete with the Premier League though, Atleti will likely have to move on to other targets.
Barcelona are keen to bring a in a new right-back, another chronic issue for them. Pavard has been used there by Bayern and France for the most part, but the player seemingly wants to move into the middle of defence, which would somewhat defeat the point of signing him for the Blaugrana.
