Summary

Mark Goldbridge has been reacting to news that a World Cup winning defender could be on their way to Old Trafford this summer as Erik Ten Hag continues his recruitment drive.

Is Benjamin Pavard on his way to Old Trafford?

Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has issued an update on Twitter X regarding Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, who has emerged as a target for Manchester United, stating: "Man Utd, at this stage the favorite in the poker for Benjamin Pavard! Pavard can really imagine to join MUFC as Ten Hag wants him. Concrete talks are ongoing and positive. Price valuation: Around €30m [£26m]. Tuchel wants to keep him. Pavard wants to leave Bayern. Would be a massive loss for the club."

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed that Pavard is a player on the radar at Old Trafford and indicated that the World Cup winning defender would 'love' to experience life in the Premier League; however, Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo and Bayer Leverkusen ace Edmond Tapsoba are also being considered as defensive reinforcements by Ten Hag.

As per The Daily Mail, Pavard has been 'sounded out' at Old Trafford as a potential replacement for former club captain Harry Maguire, who has agreed a £30 million move to West Ham United after being stripped of the captaincy earlier in the window.

Last term, Pavard made 47 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich, registering seven goals and a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Of course, the 27-year-old is capable of playing in both right-back and central defensive roles; however, Pavard signalled two years ago in an interview cited by the Bundesliga official website that he prefers to operate at the heart of the backline, saying: "My ideal position is in central defence. But I'm not really thinking about that at the moment, as I'm playing on the right."

Manchester United pundit Goldbridge has had his say on links with Pavard and Manchester United as a potential deal to bring the former Stuttgart man to Old Trafford gains momentum and thinks that his arrival could be a 'masterstroke' by Red Devils boss Ten Hag if he was brought in to succeed Maguire in central defence.

Goldbridge stated on The United Stand YouTube channel: "Is Pavard better than Maguire? Yes. Is Pavard three years younger than Maguire? Yes. Is Pavard cheaper than Maguire? Yes. You can want Todibo, you can want Tapsoba and maybe they are better than Pavard, but when you look at the actual comparison, Maguire goes to West Ham for £30 million at 30 and we get Pavard, who can play right-back and centre-back, who's only just 27 and save £4 million.

"This is almost in a nutshell what you do when you shop in Europe, because everything is more expensive in England, isn't it? From a business point of view, it's a masterstroke by Ten Hag."

Is Mark Goldbridge correct in his assessment of Benjamin Pavard?

It's hard to argue against Goldbridge's logic regarding the sale process of Maguire and prospective arrival of Pavard, which would be covered by West Ham and essentially enable Manchester United to gain a younger replacement with money to spare left over.

Pavard's class cannot be disputed and he excelled for Bayern Munich last campaign as they went on to rubber stamp yet another Bundesliga title, winning 2.1 aerials per match in the German top-flight and recording an average match rating of 7.17/10, as per WhoScored.

Manchester City had also been keen to target Pavard last month when news emerged that veteran right-back Kyle Walker could have been on his way to Bayern Munich, as per The Guardian, showing that the France international has admirers in high places as well as at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils could be making one of the smartest moves of the transfer window if they can get a deal for Pavard over the line and their case is helped further by the fact he has less than a year left on his contract at Bayern Munich, as per Sky Sports.