Man Utd ‘ACCELERATE’ talks to sign Maguire replacement
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 14 Aug 2023 12:41 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United are stepping up their preparations to sign a replacement for Harry Maguire, with the Red Devils said to be “accelerating” on a deal for Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard.
Maguire has fallen down the pecking order dramatically at Old Trafford since the arrival of Erik ten Hag a little over a year ago, falling to fifth-choice centre-back last summer behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and even left-back Luke Shaw.
Jonny Evans was even brought in over the summer to strengthen Ten Hag’s options in friendly matches, although it is unclear whether the Northern Ireland international will be offered a one-year deal that will see him remain at the club for the remainder of the season.
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West Ham are closely linked with the former Leicester and Hull man, while FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed that a late bid could be made from Aston Villa.
Man Utd have instead turned their attentions towards Bayern Munich’s Pavard, a World Cup winner in 2018.
Sky Sports reports they are stepping up their advances to sign the 27-year-old, who featured in Bayern’s shock 3-0 loss in the DFB Supercup to RB Leipzig at the weekend.
In that encounter, Pavard was asked to play right-back – a role that he has made clear he does not want to play. At United, he could get his wish by playing more centrally, though that will require him to force either Martinez or Varane out of the team.
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How close is Pavard to Man Utd?
Sky reports that initial contact has been made between the clubs but there has been no formal offer for the player yet.
It is also pointed out that Pavard only has a year left on his Bayern deal, one reason why his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has dipped to €24.6 million.
Should Man Utd fail to land a transfer for Pavard, they are also following young France international centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo from Ligue 1 outfit Nice.
MORE: Todibo, Pavard or Tapsoba? Man Utd's best Maguire replacement is OBVIOUS
