Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Real Madrid have entered the race to sign Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, who also happens to be a target of Barcelona.
Pavard, 26, is expected to leave Bayern Munich this summer despite the fact that his ongoing deal with the Germans runs until 2024. Plettenberg writes that his exit cannot be entirely ruled out yet as there is still a meeting pending between the team and the player’s representatives.
For now, Bayern are not really worried about Pavard’s extension, but an exit in the summer cannot be ruled out either.
“Benji is a very important player for us. He has a job at Bayern and he feels very comfortable with us. We will try to succeed together,” said Bayern Munich’s director Hasan Salihamidzic.
As revealed by Plettenberg, the only thing stopping Pavard from signing a new contract with Bayern is the fact that he does not want to play in wider areas. But thanks to Noussair Mazraoui’s long-term injury, the team will be forced to use the Frenchman out wide.
Pavard has had some problems with manager Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich, while there have been some disciplinary issues as well. That, coupled with his desire to play centrally, has led to speculations over his future.
Given the situation at hand, Barcelona have expressed their interest in the Frenchman, with recent reports suggesting that there had been contacts between the player and the club. The Catalan giants see him as a reinforcement at right-back, a position where they have faced a lot of issues.
However, Real Madrid’s entry might make life difficult for the Blaugrana. The La Liga champions are also looking for a new right-back and have Pavard on their radar, meaning Barcelona will have a battle at their hands to sign him.
Even if the Blaugrana manage to agree a transfer fee with Bayern, they will have to convince Pavard to play at right-back amidst the player’s desire to feature centrally.
