Chelsea, Man United involved in tussle for talented World Cup winner

• Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly embroiled in a transfer battle for Benjamin Pavard
• Pavard has spent six years in Germany, having moved to Stuttgart from Lille
• He initially started as a right back, before eventually transitioning to the heart of defence

Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be involved in a tussle for talented French centre back Benjamin Pavard.

Pavard, a former Lille player, has won a number of honors at Bayern Munich, including the Champions League, but reports now claim that he is close to being on the move.

According to reports from L’Équipe, both Chelsea and United are keen on bringing him to the Premier League, but the two clubs also face stiff competition elsewhere.

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Pavard, 26, is also being monitored by the likes of Juventus and Atletico Madrid, who are monitoring his situation with two years still left on his contract at Bayern Munich.

The Sun further reports that Pavard has been considering his future, after going through difficult spells in recent times in Germany.

He wants to play consistently in central defence, after spending majority of his time with Bayern playing in an unnatural fullback position.

Bild’s Christian Falk also recently shared an update on Pavard’s situation:

“Agent Pini Zahavi will help the agents of Benjamin Pavard @FCBayern to sell the defender. That explains the rumours about an alleged interest from Chelsea, as Zahavi is always the first to offer his players there.”

Sarri interested in Chelsea duo

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported that Maurizio Sarri is interested in a reunion with two of his former players.

According to transfer guru Nicolo Schira, cited on The Sun, Sarri has now identified Palmieri and Loftus-Cheek as players who can be great additions to his team.

Loftus-Cheek enjoyed his best season in the Premier League when Sarri was manager at Chelsea in 2018-19.