Thomas Tuchel insists Benjamin Pavard has not told him he wants to join Premier League giants Manchester United as Bayern Munich demand £45 million for the France international.
While Harry Maguire’s decision to stay put and turn down a move to West Ham has elicited a less-than accommodating response from some sections of the Manchester United support, it’s worth considering what The Athletic’s David Ornstein had to say about the whole situation.
United, Ornstein reports, were not quite as willing to let Maguire go as others had suggested. The problem was that, with so little time left in the window, finding a high-quality replacement for an affordable price was proving to be easier said than done. Take Benjamin Pavard, for instance.
Man United opened talks with Bayern Munich over the weekend (Fabrizio Romano).
But with there a massive gap between the fee United were willing to pay (£25 million) and the one Bayern wanted (£45 million), it quickly became apparent that bringing Pavard to Old Trafford was far from straight-foward.
Manchester United hit impasse for Benjamin Pavard
Tuchel, meanwhile, is playing down suggestions that the 2018 World Cup winner has demanded to let go before the September deadline. Sky Germany believe that Pavard had verbally agreed to join forces with Erik ten Hag’s side. But, as far as the Bayern boss is concerned, the former Stuttgart man remains committed to the Bundesliga champions.
“Benji hasn’t personally communicated to me that he wants to leave,” Tuchel said ahead of Bayern’s clash with Werder Bremen (Sport Buzzer).
“As far as I know, there is no offer as of now. Until something changes fundamentally, we are fully counting on him.”
Ten Hag needs sales and signings
United also like Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba. Monday’s less-than-convincing 1-0 win over Wolves, however, shone a light on the need for midfield reinforcements instead, with Sofyan Amrabat seemingly higher on Ten Hag’s wishlist than Pavard and co.