Real Madrid make inquiry for Bayern Munich defender, player wants to play as a CB | OneFootball

Real Madrid have already started their big 2023 summer window clearout, with several players having already left the club in the last two days. Their rollout started with Marco Asensio, eventually leading to Mariano Diaz and Eden Hazard on the same day.

Then the big one came, as Karim Benzema announced his decision to leave the club since his contract is up this summer. The Frenchman is expected to join Al-Ittihad on a €400 million deal, plus privileges.

In the coming days, they could announce departures for Dani Ceballos and Nacho as well, both of whom become free agents this summer.

Evidently, defence is not Madrid’s biggest priority. While they potentially need a new left-back, especially if Ferland Mendy stays, the rest of the backline is pretty much sorted for the next season.

As such, it is surprising to see Georg Holzner’s (h/t MadridXtra) report saying Real Madrid have made an inquiry to sign Benjamin Pavard in the summer. The Frenchman becomes a free agent next year, and could potentially be sold this summer.

While Pavard has largely played as a centre-back for Bayern through his tenure, he no longer wants to continue in that position. He wants confirmation from his next club that he will be deployed as a centre-back.

Before joining Bayern, Pavard almost exclusively played as a centre-back for Stuttgart, but was extensively used on right for the French National Team. He also won the 2018 World Cup as a starter for France in that position.

Real Madrid are not the only club interested in the 27-year-old, though. Barcelona also have the player on their radar for the summer, while Manchester City and Manchester United are also considering a move this summer.

Pavard has scored four goals this summer for Bayern across 30 Bundesliga appearances, while setting up a solitary teammate.