Summary Man United are ready to move in on an exciting Harry Maguire replacement. The player in question has won the World Cup and is valued at £26m. They rank among the best defenders for a variety of important defensive attributes.
Manchester United are still extremely active in the transfer market with just over two weeks remaining to secure new additions, and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of a defensive target.
What's the latest Man United transfer news?
According to Sky Sports News, Manchester United are ready to accelerate a move to sign a new defender.
The man in question is Bayern Munich centre-back Benjamin Pavard. A deal could indeed gather pace if Harry Maguire departs before the transfer window shuts.
Sky Sports revealed on their live transfer centre:
'If Maguire does leave, United are ready to accelerate talks with Bayern Munich for Benjamin Pavard. Initial contact has been made between the clubs, but there has been no formal offer yet.
'Pavard has entered the final year of his contract with the German champions and is understood to want the move.'
Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…
It was also noted by the Daily Mail this week that the player is pushing for the move, with the Bundesliga giants expecting at least £26m to part ways with their player.
Why do Man United need to sign Pavard?
Despite taking all three points from their opening clash with Wolves at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag will be less than impressed with the performance his squad put on in the Premier League.
Gary O'Neill's side dominated their opponents on their visit to the North West, with more shots on goal (23), shots on target (6), counter-attacks (2), duels won (76) and dribbles completed (71%), as well as winning more tackles and interceptions (41), according to SofaScore.
Wolves failed to find the back of the net but had no problems cutting through the Reds Devils midfield and defence with ease which meant they had far more opportunities in front of goal than they should have in front of the Man United home support.
As a result, the signing of Pavard – once hailed a "team player" by Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel – could not come at a better time for Ten Hag as the Dutch coach will be keen for his team to improve their retention of the ball and defensive dominance.
The World Cup-winning Frenchman is one of the most effective ball-playing centre-backs across the top five European leagues – ranking in the top 10% of his positional peers for tackles, touches, progressive carries, progressive passes, shot-creating actions and shots on goal per 90 minutes player, as per FBref.
When comparing Pavard's output to Maguire's over last season, the Bundesliga ace comfortably outperformed his position competitor in a number of key attributes including pass completion (88.3% v 85.1%) and aerial duels won (66% v 53.2%), as well as averaging more tackles (2.37 v 1.13), interceptions (1.55 v 1.13), blocks (1.33 v 1.32) and progressive passes (7.48 v 3.11) per 90.
With that being said, it would be a great opportunity to strengthen the back-line if Man United could agree a deal with Bayern this summer.
Indeed, on the evidence of their opener with Wolves, a solid defender is needed and in Pavard they could find a real asset to potentially replace Maguire.