Bayern Munich are reportedly preparing to trigger the release clause of Stuttgart defender Benjamin Pavard that will become active in 2019.
The 22-year-old is one of the most highly rated young defenders in the game at the moment after a hugely impressive World Cup campaign with the French national team.
Pavard scored a wonder-goal in the 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16, and has recently been linked as a target for Arsenal by L’Equipe, as translated by the Metro.
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Capable of playing right-back or centre-back, Pavard would be a fine signing for the Gunners as they prepare for a new era under new manager Unai Emery.
Pavard would likely be an upgrade on any of Arsenal’s current centre-back options, and even for Hector Bellerin on the right-hand side.
Still, Bayern are known for poaching the best talent in Germany and seem keen to make the youngster part of their plans.
Re Pavard. VfB Stuttgart could of course choose to cash in their chips earlier especially with Premier League interest ?? price could explode north of €50million. 2019 seems a long way off for one of hottest properties in game. https://t.co/ziH5FxEdbV
— Mark Lovell (@LovellLowdown) July 4, 2018
A report by Bild has been translated by ESPN’s Bayern Munich correspondent Mark Lovell, who expects Pavard may still be likely to move before 2019 due to Premier League interest pushing his price tag up.
This could still provide some hope for Arsenal then, but it would likely mean paying more than they’re known to in the transfer market.