Soccer Football - DFB Cup - Round of 16 - Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - December 3, 2024 Bayern Munich's Aleksandar Pavlovic looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach DFB REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO.
Manchester City are considering a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksander Pavlovic. The highly rated 22-year-old is seen by City boss Pep Guardiola as a long-term successor for Rodri.
Rodri has been a key cog to Guardiola’s system from his holding midfield position, but speculation about his future has increased the past few summers. Rodri missed the majority of last season through injury, and looks set to be sidelined once more after picking up a knee injury in recent weeks.
Caught Offside has reported that City are now preparing for life without Rodri and have added Pavlovic to the top of their wishlist. Early reports indicate that City are weighing up a possible €45-50 million bid as early as January for the player.
Pavlovic is emerging as one of Europe’s brightest talents, and has impressed this season for Bayern. He’s featured six times for the Bundesliga champions, scoring one goal.
It is yet to be seen whether or not City test Bayern’s resolve in January, or if the Germans would be willing to do business at all.
City keen on Pavlovic
Pavlovic has drawn comparisons to Rodri as well as other established midfield anchors across Europe for his physicality, passing range, and ability to dictate tempo. City will have competition for his signature, with Juventus and PSG also monitoring the player’s progress.
Manchester United were also previously linked with interest in the player, but the Red Devils are not believed to be tracking the player at the moment. City could be looking to refresh their midfield entirely, with reports linking Bernardo Silva with a move to Saudi Arabia next summer.
Guardiola could have several gaps to fill in midfield sooner than he would have liked. City are looking to tick on from what has been a modest start to the season by their standards.
They sit 7th in the table on 10 points having suffered two losses from their opening six matches.
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