There are only 11 days until the transfer window officially opens and there has been no shortage of links to players, and that now includes another World Cup winner.
Much of the reported transfer interest has been toward midfielders, with Alexis Mac Allister expected to swap Brighton for Anfield early in the summer.
But with Jurgen Klopp not having ruled out defensive signings, they too have not been in short supply with Levi Colwill, Jarrad Branthwaite and Micky van de Ven all linked.
Now, four-time Bundesliga winner Benjamin Pavard has been added to the list after Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, a reliable German source, named Liverpool as a “confirmed option.”
News #Pavard: Bayern is also willing to sell him (next to #Hernández)! As they know that Pavard definitely wants to leave the club in summer.
?? It’s a question of the price now
?? First ideas about a potential swap deal + fee or €30-40m + bonus payments
?? His options… pic.twitter.com/lIDVAsh5jc— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 3, 2023
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A versatile defender capable of playing at centre-back and right-back, Pavard has informed Bayern of his desire to leave in the summer with one year left on his contract.
The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man United, Man City and Inter have also been listed as options for the Frenchman, who has a price tag in the region of £26 million.
At 27 and with only one year remaining on his deal, it is a respectable asking price from Bayern – but for it to make sense for Liverpool, there would need to be movement elsewhere.
With Jurgen Klopp changing the shape of his team, it is a left-footed centre-back that has become the target to complement the system.
Joe Gomez or Joel Matip would need to move on, not out of the realm of possibility, for a right-sided player to become a focus in the transfer market.
Pavard comes with plenty of experience and is not as prone to injury as Gomez and Matip, plus new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke knows how to work the German market.
At this time, though, it is the aforementioned left-sided defenders that look to be the primary focus over players in the ilk of Pavard.
