Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard is on Chelsea's radar, mere months after being linked with a move to Manchester United.
The French international, part of his country's World Cup-winning squad in 2018, has been with Bayern since 2019. He was linked with a January exit but ended up staying at the Allianz Arena to help Thomas Tuchel's side continue their title battle.
Old Trafford had been seen as a potential destination for the 27-year-old, who can play at full-back or in central defence. Inter Milan have also been linked, and new reports suggest Chelsea are among the clubs who could move for the former Stuttgart man.
According to Bild (via Sport Witness), Pavard is 'flirting' with the idea of a summer exit. The defender is said to have been keen on a new challenge outside Germany earlier in the season, though he has featured more regularly since former Chelsea boss Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann at the helm.
Pavard is said to have held talks with Hasan Salihamidzic, the former Bayern player who now serves as the club's sporting director. Salihamidzic is said to remain keen to keep the player on board and tie him down to a new contract, with his current deal expiring in 2024.
Were Pavard to leave Bayern, Chelsea are by no means the only contenders. Man Utd and Inter have been heavily linked in the past, with the Nerazzurri seeing a bid knocked back, while Barcelona reportedly hold the upper hand after their move for Robert Lewandowski last summer.
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Chelsea have invested heavily on defensive reinforcements since Todd Boehly took over as owner. Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Benoit Badiashile are among those already in West London, while Malo Gusto - signed in January - will be part of the squad next season after returning to Lyon on loan for the remainder of the current campaign.
The identity of Chelsea's next permanent manager could be relevant to whether or not Pavard moves to Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino is reported to be the frontrunner, having been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain after the 2021-22 campaign.
"Do they [Chelsea] need to take their time to get the right manager? Yeah, they absolutely should do," interim boss Frank Lampard said of the delay in appointing Graham Potter's permanent successor.
"We are at that stage of the season now where we understand that we are not going to get into Europe, and other managers are probably going: 'I'll take a look at this and wait till pre-season when I can enforce what I want to do'. It's not silly on their part – we've got the top four in the run-in and that is going to be a difficult process of games."
