Pep Guardiola has the opportunity to finally get rid of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City this summer by securing a transfer deal for Benjamin Pavard.
Towards the end of the previous January transfer window, the Portuguese international, who had been slammed by Roy Keane for his “shocking” defending against Liverpool early last season, joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of last season after falling out of favour with the City boss.
So much so that the Spaniard revealed that they were so desperate to move Cancelo out of the club in January that they would have even sold him to Manchester United had the chance arisen.
Having now returned to the Manchester club for their pre-season period, it’s unclear what the future will hold for the 28-year-old, even though it was claimed back in June that he will be on his way out of the club this summer.
Guardiola can get rid of Cancelo by signing Pavard
In our view, if Guardiola has no intention of using Cancelo in his squad for next season, we feel that the best way they can replace him if he does end up making a permanent move elsewhere is by bringing in Benjamin Pavard.
Earlier this month, it was reported that City have an interest in signing the Bayern defender, with Guardiola having a particular admiration for the player.
Back in May, Thomas Tuchel shared his praise for the 27-year-old, saying this about him.
He said: “He is very strong, very consistent, very solid, very reliable, and at a very high level. It is very important for a defence.”
The German then went on to say that the France international is best suited to being in a three-man defensive line, which could make him an ideal fit in City’s side as they played with three at the back on numerous occasions last season.
Moving forward, if the European champions can find an ideal solution for Cancelo by selling him on a permanent basis this summer, we feel that bringing in Pavard should be their next step in this transfer window.
