Benjamin Pavard wants to join Bayern Munich in January
French defender Benjamin Pavard is reportedly agitating for a move to Bayern Munich in the upcoming January transfer window.
Bayern Munich is struggling defensively this season and have been leaking goals in almost every game. There are questions about the reliability of the personnel in Bayern’s defense. The club is likely to make a few additions in defense in the upcoming transfer windows. Benjamin Pavard has long been reported as one of the Bavarians’ top defensive targets in these transfer windows.
According to a report from Sky Sports, Pavard wants to leave VfB Stuttgart in January and join Bayern Munich. The French defender is unhappy at his current club due to their ongoing relegation battle. He is also reportedly unhappy with the new managerial appointment at the club. Pavard is now ready to take a step up and join a bigger club as soon as possible.
Sky‘s report also suggests that Bayern face strong competition for Pavard’s signature. Napoli and Borussia Dortmund are also showing strong interest in the World Cup winner and could sweep in and steal the deal from Die Roten.
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Pavard favors a move to Bayern Munich, though, as he wants to stay in the Bundesliga. Hasan Salihamidzic has reportedly already held talks with Pavard’s representatives, and a transfer in January is not completely ruled out.
Pavard was heavily linked with Bayern throughout the summer transfer window. The Bavarians didn’t sign him in the summer, but there were reports suggesting that they have already agreed a fee with Stuttgart to sign the defender in 2019.
These reports were dismissed by Pavard, while Uli Hoeness recently revealed that there is no agreement in place but the club is still interested in the player.
Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels are on a steady decline right now. Bayern was ready to offload Boateng in the summer amidst interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, but he eventually decided to stay in Bavaria.
The German club will likely be looking to offload at least one of these players next summer still, as they start building a new spine of the team. Pavard is a versatile defender, so he can even fill in at right-back if Niko Kovac persists with Joshua Kimmich in midfield.
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Niko Kovac effectively ruled out signing Pavard in January when he was speaking to the press on Tuesday. Pavard’s release clause of €35 million becomes active next summer, so he would likely go for more in January. Bayern should make signing Pavard a priority in January, though, because it would give him ample time to settle in at the club before becoming an important figure next season.