Manchester United's hopes of signing Bayern Munich defender Bejamin Pavard appear to have suffered a set-back after Thomas Tuchel waxed lyrical over the Frenchman.
Pavard's recent years at the Allianz Arena have been turbulent, but has been able establish himself as a regular once again and is likely to be relishing the next chapter under new boss Tuchel, who played him from the start in what was his first game in charge. Pavard looked some way back to his best as he helped Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 4-2 to go top of the Bundesliga.
After the game, Tuchel heaped praise on the 27-year-old as he told reporters: "He [Pavard] is an underrated player. He can adapt to the highest level and he defends rigorously. He is a top team player, he immediately had my confidence and proved to me that I had been right."
The comments come at an interesting time for Pavard, who is rumoured to be considering his future with Bayern while the end of his current contract creeps closer.
The World Cup-winner is out of a deal as of the summer of 2024, which means this coming summer is Bayern's last real chance to cash in on Pavard. With that in mind, United's interest is thought to be concrete.
The nature of Pavard's contractual situation means Bayern may have little choice but to sell the defender for far less than they'd like, presenting an ideal situation for United.
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Those at the top of the Red Devils hierarchy are thought to have held 'exploratory' talks over Pavard and shortlisted the France international as an option to strengthen United's options at right-back.
With that being said, United's efforts could come unstuck over the fact that one of Pavard's main reasons for considering his Bayern future is the fact he prefers to be deployed as a centre-back.
United manager Erik ten Hag already has four central defenders he can call upon in first-choice pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, followed by deputies Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
Pavard's versatility is what makes him so attractive to those runnings things over at Old Trafford. He could be tempted by a new challenge, but United are not the only side keeping tabs on the defender.
In actual fact, United are not even the only Manchester-based club keen on luring Pavard away from Munich, with Pep Guardiola's City side also linked with a move for the technically gifted defender.
