Wednesday morning done deal- Man united are in front seat to land ‘super quick’ Frenchman 6ft 4in defensive monster with ‘frightening heading abilities’ like Sergio Ramos- Not Amrabat- Player is loved by Ten Hag for his high speed, strength, composure, and top passing abilities
Manchester United’s latest “priority” target “wants to go” to Old Trafford this summer, and with the club happy with his £82,000-a-week wages, the possibility of a deal is “very concrete”, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Manchester United transfer news – what is the latest?
It’s been an excellent summer for the United faithful so far this year.
The club have spent big yet again in a bid to back manager Erik ten Hag in his second year in charge of the team, and in doing so, they have seriously improved the squad.
First through the door was Chelsea star and former fan favourite Mason Mount, who joined the club in a deal worth £55m after a protracted transfer saga.
Following the England international was Inter Milan’s highly-rated Cameroon international Andre Onana. The keeper joined from the Champions League runners-up in a deal worth £47m, coming straight in as the club’s new number one after the departure of David de Gea.
The latest big signing to make their way to the Theatre of Dreams was Danish wonderkid Rasmus Hojlund, who left Serie A side Atalanta for the Premier League in a deal worth £72m.
While that is already a pretty good summer’s worth of incomings, it looks like the Red Devils want more, specifically in defence, as it seems increasingly likely that former captain Harry Maguire is on his way to West Ham United this summer.
The defender most heavily touted for a move to United recently has been Bayern Munich star and World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard.
And according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, the player is incredibly keen to make the move before the window shuts and has already informed the Bavarians of his intentions.
He explained the situation live on The United Stand’s YouTube channel, saying:
“The Pavard deal is something very concrete in terms of the player’s side at the moment because I am hearing that the player is really keen on joining Manchester United. He wants to get this opportunity to go to the Premier League to try new a chance; he knows also that Erik ten Hag is a big fan of his ability to play in different positions because Pavard can help as a full-back and not just as a centre-back and this is important for United to have a defensive full-back like Pavard into the squad, it could help in some crucial moments in the season.
“So the feedback between Pavard and United is excellent. The player wants to go, and also, Man United feel the conditions of the salary are correct. So, the agreement on personal terms is not a problem at all; it’s about Bayern now.
“Man United approached Bayern Friday last week, and from Bayern, they were not really keen on the transfer of Benjamin Pavard because they still want to keep him. He’s an important player for Tuchel. But, from what I am hearing during the weekend and even today [Monday], and I think this will continue, Pavard has been really clear with Bayern, with the board, with the manager he wants to go. He’s not going to sign a new contract, his contract expires in summer 2024 and is not extending, and so he believes for both sides, player and for the club [this] is the best way to find a solution and to go to Man United.
“So Pavard is pushing for the move, let’s see what happens between United and bayern. But for sure, this is the priority at the moment for Man United.”
How old is Benjamin Pavard?
Born March 28th 1996, in Maubeuge, France, Pavard is 27 years old and has spent the last four and half seasons playing for Bayern and, unsurprisingly, winning the league every single year, as well as picking up the Champions League trophy in the summer of 2020.
He has been a brilliant player for the Bavarians over those four-and-a-half years, and it’s easy to see why ten Hag is so keen to bring him to Old Trafford this summer.
In his 27 starts for the Bavarians last season, he found the back of the net on four occasions, provided one assist, took 1.1 shots per game, maintained a passing accuracy of 89.8%, won 2.1 aerials duals a game and picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards along the way, all while averaging a match rating of 7.17, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers are also seriously impressive and suggest that the step-up to the Premier League shouldn’t have too significant an impact on his output.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe’s top five leagues, the £82,000-a-week man sits in the top 1% for attempted passes and progressive passes, the top 2% for total shots, expected assists and progressive passes received, the top 3% for non-penalty goals and shot-creating actions, and the top 4% for touches in the oppositions penalty area and non-penalty expected goals, all per 90.
Described as a “top team player” by manager Thomas Tuchel, if United can get this deal over the line, it would significantly improve the team both at full-back and centre-back and would represent brilliant business.
