Tottenham have reportedly made contact over the potential transfer of Stuttgart defender Benjamin Pavard as they anticipate losing Toby Alderweireld this summer.
A report from TEAMtalk claims Spurs have made a £44million approach for the French World Cup winner, who shone at right-back for Didier Deschamps champions this summer, though he more regularly plays as a centre-back for his club.
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The youngster could then be an ideal replacement for Alderweireld as TEAMtalk suggest Tottenham expect him to leave before the end of the summer, with a move to Manchester United described as ‘a strong possibility’.
This follows Yahoo Sport‘s claim a few days ago that United were expected to re-open talks over signing Alderweireld after interest earlier in the summer.
While the Belgium international has been a rock for Spurs in recent times, Pavard could be an ideal long-term replacement at the back, and possibly available for a reasonable price.
£44m won’t seem like too much for such a highly-rated young talent, and as TEAMtalk note, he will have a release clause of just £30.9m that comes into effect in 2019.
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This means Stuttgart could do well to cash in on him for slightly higher now, though they are unlikely to be able to charge a huge amount more as clubs may just wait another year to try snapping him up on the cheap.
Tottenham have a good recent record of developing and improving young players under Mauricio Pochettino, so the prospect of Pavard making his way to north London is a very exciting one indeed.