Benjamin Pavard would have been a relatively unknown name for most people acquainted with European football. However, the Frenchman has shot himself into the limelight at the 2018 World Cup by scoring a stunner against Argentina in the round of 16, which has become a top contender for the goal of the tournament award. Pavard was one of the surprise inclusions in the French squad but he has justified his selection with a number of impressive displays so far.
Such performances are sure to not go unnoticed and now the youngster is being linked with a move to Manchester United. He currently plies his trade in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart and was a regular for them last season as he made 36 appearances in all competitions.
However, the Stuttgart sporting director has clearly gone on to mention that their 22-year-old defender is not for sale on the cheap. He said,”We will definitely not sell Benjamin Pavard this year for €50million (£44m), we will do everything to make sure that he plays with us for another year. Benjamin Pavard was already in the focus of big clubs as a Bundesliga player. We want to keep the player. Let’s wait and see what the next few weeks and months bring.”
If reports are to be believed then Manchester United are likely to struggle to bring the defender to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are looking for a long-term replacement for Antonio Valencia who has been filling in the right-back role at the club for quite some time now. Valencia is traditionally a winger who went on to become a right back and we often see him found wanting on the defensive front.
Pavard has shown loads of potential and is touted to have a big future ahead of him. Stuttgart is likely to hold on to him for another year. However, United are known to splash the cash in the transfer market and they will probably have to shell out more than £44m to lure the defender to Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho will look to mount a better challenge in the upcoming season as he finished trophyless last time around and one of the major headaches for him will be to replace his ageing defence. United were strong defensively last season but that was largely due to the fact that they defended in numbers and had a strong goalkeeper in David De Gea.
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