Man Utd set to battle Man City for Bayern Munich star; Tuchel ‘waiting’ for first concrete offer | OneFootball

Man Utd, Man City target Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich

Manchester United and Manchester City are reportedly poised to battle Juventus for the signature of Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard.

The bitter rivals are both keen to bring in defensive recruits this summer and the 2018 World Cup winner is keen to take on a fresh challenge away from the Bundesliga.

Pavard could certainly prove to be a valuable addition for either Man Utd or Man City, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

The France international has entered the final year of his contract with Bayern. As a result, they are looking to sell him this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

Selling him will also help generate some valuable transfer funds for Bayern, with Thomas Tuchel still pushing hard to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham this summer.

Since joining the Bundesliga champions in 2019, Pavard has made 162 appearances in all competitions. In the process, he has scored 12 goals and made 12 assists.

He has also helped Bayern to lift four league titles and a Champions League.

Man City look set to sell Kyle Walker to Bayern. As a result, they will need to bring in a replacement and reports have suggested they could potentially use the England international as a makeweight in a deal for Pavard.

Man Utd may well scupper Guardiola’s plans, though.

According to reputed transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils have now joined Man City and Juventus in the race for Pavard.

On Twitter, Plettenberg wrote: “Benjamin Pavard, he still wants to leave FC Bayern this summer as he has no intention to extend his contract beyond 2024.

“It’s still a race between Man City, Man Utd and Juventus at this stage. Swap deal with Kyle Walker has been no hot topic in the last few days. Bayern bosses are waiting for a concrete offer.”

Despite playing for most of his career as a right-back, Pavard was utilised as a centre-back for the majority of the 2022/23 campaign.

That may be something that Ten Hag has in mind, especially with Harry Maguire being heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford at the moment.

Despite Pavard having just one year remaining on his contract, Bayern are unlikely to let the defender leave cheaply.

Plettenberg does not state how much Pavard will cost. Transfermarkt value him at approximately £40m, though, so a bid in that region may be required.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Man Utd, Man City or Juventus make the first concrete bid for the Frenchman in the near future.