Both Bayern Munich and Man City enjoyed a successful end to the season, with the Bundesliga outfit snatching the title in the last minutes of the season and the Premier League champions adding a longed-for Champions League to their trophy cabinet.
Amidst such success, however, there will always be one or two players that aren’t happy with their lot, and that can usually stem from lack of playing time as much as anything else.
Players not getting on with their team-mates, being disruptive in the dressing room or not giving their all are also valid reasons why clubs themselves may decide that the time is up for certain individuals.
One player that appears to be on his way out of Bayern is French World Cup winner, Benjamin Pavard, and that could have serious implications for Pep Guardiola’s side.
‘Benjamin Pavard wants to try a new experience and the Premier League remains the player’s priority,’ Fabrizio Romano wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside Substack.
‘Liverpool had a generic talk with his camp, not regarding Pavard specifically. Inter wanted him but as of this moment, he’s considered too expensive. There could be other options open to him in due course but there’s nothing concrete to report at this stage and it will take time for any deal to be made.’
The reason why City need to be wary is because of the Bavarian’s interest in their own marauding right-back, Kyle Walker.
‘It’s clear that Bayern are serious about signing Kyle Walker,’ Romano added.
‘Although there hasn’t been an official bid made to Manchester City at this stage, the right-back is a player that is being spoken about internally in Munich. Since deciding not to take up the option on Joao Cancelo, Walker has become a concrete target.’
Though he may now be 33 years of age and clearly has nothing left to prove to anyone, Walker remains one of the fittest and quickest players at the club.
He’s proved to his manager that he’s able to adapt to the tactical tweaks demanded of him, and one would have to question the wisdom of allowing him to move on to a Champions League rival if that becomes the case.