Man Utd transfer offer REJECTED for Maguire replacement

James Shearman

• Updated: 13 Aug 2023 10:56 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have had a bid rejected by Bayern Munich for Benjamin Pavard, according to Bild.

The central defender is thought to be Erik ten Hag's first choice replacement for Harry Maguire and talks are set to continue.

United are yet to accept an offer for Maguire but he has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham.

EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd edge towards preferred target after learning asking prices

The Red Devils are also reportedly interested in Jean-Clair Todibo and Edmond Tapsoba.

FootballTransfers takes a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each of the three players.

Todibo vs Pavard vs Tapsoba

All three players are considered to be at a similar level according to SciSports analytics, which uses data-driven statistics to give a representation of a player’s attributes, strengths and weaknesses.

However, SciSports’ developmental analysis indicates that Pavard is currently the superior player of the three, although the 27-year-old is three years older than Tapsoba and four years Todibo’s senior, with the trio having a similar potential ability.

Ten Hag’s eventual target is expected to feature as a ball-playing defender and Pavard is considered to have the strongest passing ability, ahead of Tapsoba.

However, with Bayern Munich being the most superior team, Pavard’s defensive stats will likely need the context of playing for the Bundesliga champions, who conceded the joint-least amount of goals in the league.

Todibo’s Nice conceded just 37 goals in 38 games in Ligue 1 last season and the 23-year-old boasts the best defensive positioning out of the three players, as well as the strongest ball retention ability.

While Tapsoba's strengths lie more with his ability with the ball at his feet rather than his defensive capabilities, despite still being one of the top centre-backs in Germany.

Ultimately, Ten Hag’s choice is more likely to come down to price and availability rather than identifying the best player, with each option having different strengths and weaknesses.