Manchester City could land an upgrade on Kyle Walker by signing Benjamin Pavard this summer.
After it was reported that the Englishman had verbally agreed to join the German club, it was later claimed that the Citizens had identified the 27-year-old as an ideal replacement.
It has also been reported that the Bundesliga side are open to selling the defender this summer for a fee of €30m (£25m).
Better than Walker?
If Walker were to wave goodbye to the Etihad Stadium before the summer transfer window closes, we feel that securing a deal for the Frenchman would not only be a smart piece of business, but it would also give them an upgrade on the 33-year-old.
Looking at their previous individual domestic campaigns, Pavard ended the season with more clearances (83 vs 22), interceptions (44 vs 18), blocks (35 vs 12) and successful tackles (41 vs 9) than the City player.
Then from an attacking point of view, the Bayern star had more shots at goal (34 vs 5), key passes (19 vs 6) and shot-creating actions (45 vs 25) than the England international.
This shows how much more effective Pavard, who Neymar once called “crazy” after the defender was sent off against Paris Saint-Germain, could be for Pep Guardiola’s side at both ends of the pitch, more so than Walker.
Also, the France international ended his latest Bundesliga season with an overall performance rating of 7.17/10 from WhoScored, which eclipses the rating of 6.54/10 that Walker earned for his efforts in the Premier League.
With all of that in mind, we feel that even if the 33-year-old ends up staying at City, it could well be worth adding the Bayern figure to their squad in an effort to strengthen their defence and increase their chance of regaining their three titles from last season.
