Manchester United have been linked with Benjamin Pavard in recent months and the Bayern Munich defender is open to pursuing a new challenge – under certain conditions
Benjamin Pavard has reaffirmed that he is open to leaving Bayern Munich to join a new club – but his comments spell bad news for Manchester United.
The Red Devils were linked with the France defender throughout the summer transfer window but opted to make Lisandro Martinez their marquee signing at centre-half. This season, Erik ten Hag has regularly deployed Diogo Dalot at right-back and he would like to sign a new option in January, so long as he can offload Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Pavard, 26, is an ideal candidate as he plays on the right of defence for France – helping them win the World Cup in 2018 – but is also well-versed in at centre-back. He also opened the door to leaving the Allianz Arena last week, declaring he would like to “take up new challenges”, with just over 18 months remaining on his Bayern contract.
Pavard has doubled down on this stance but United will be concerned by his insistence on joining a club where he will play at centre-back rather than on the flank. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, per Football Italia, he said: “I’ve been playing in Germany for seven years, I have many friends in Stuttgart and I’ve won everything with Bayern. I play to win and I am open to considering new projects as a centre-back.”