The last few weeks have not been great for Bayern Munich in their pursuit to sign a center-back to replace Niklas Sule. The German defender is set to leave Bavaria on a free transfer to join arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Die Roten had shortlisted Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen as the ideal candidate to replace Sule. The Danish center-back is set to become a free agent in the summer, so he was a financially viable option. However, Barcelona has won the race to sign Christensen.
Matthias Ginter and Antonio Rudiger were the other names on the list of center-backs that were under consideration for Bayern. Rudiger will be an expensive investment in terms of wages, while the Bavarian club is not entirely convinced with Ginter. Torino’s Gleison Bremer was also a target for Rekordmeister, but Inter Milan is much closer to signing the Brazilian defender.
The latest update from Germany suggests that Bayern is shelving the plans to sign a center-back. According to SportBild, Die Roten is planning to use Benjamin Pavard in the heart of defense once a right-back is signed in the summer transfer window.
Pavard will welcome this decision since he reportedly prefers playing in the heart of the defense. The French international often played in this position during his time at VfB Stuttgart. In the last three-four years, Pavard has been operating in the right-back position for club and country.
Benjamin Pavard has done a good job in the right-back position for Die Roten. He has been defensively solid in this role. However, Pavard is not adventurous in the final third as Alphonso Davies is on the left side. Die Roten is looking to sign a right-back to provide more cutting edge on the right flank.
Bayern is currently trying to sign Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax. The Moroccan right-back will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season. Die Roten is currently competing with Barcelona for his signing. The 24-year-old full-back is expected to make a decision before the end of the season. Along with Mazraoui, Bayern has also been linked with Middlesborough’s Djed Spence for the right-back position.
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After signing Mazraoui or any other right-back, Pavard will feature in the heart of the defense. He will be competing with Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez for a place in the central defense. Pavard will occasionally play as a right-back, but his primary position will be a central defender.