Jurgen Klopp is evaluating several transfer targets ahead of the summer window. The German will undergo a significant squad overhaul as he looks to get Liverpool back to competing for trophies next season.
Liverpool have been linked with several players from the Bundesliga as of late. This coincidences with the arrival of Jorg Schmadtke as Liverpool’s new director of football. Schmadtke has tons of experience in the German top flight and will undoubtedly sound out potential targets in that league.
One name that has been linked with a move to Liverpool is Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard. The defender has just 12 months left on his current deal and looks to be on his way out of Bavaria this summer.
However, CBS reporter Jonathan Johnson has warned that Klopp may have reservations about Pavard for several reasons.
Johnson spoke to CaughtOffside about Pavard’s situation and addressed the links to Liverpool.
“There have been question marks over Benjamin Pavard’s mentality for some time,” he told Caught Offside. “When you look at what happened with the World Cup, he started as a member of Didier Deschamps’ squad and then pretty much sank without trace after that – and that was linked to some attitude issues. It’s also something that we’ve heard a bit about from his time at Bayern Munich as well this kind of a feeling that he’s outgrown his surroundings, though I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. He’s been considered quite a high profile name since that stunning goal scored at the 2018 World Cup and sometimes he’s found it a bit difficult to live up to that.”
“There’ve been persistent rumours linking him with Barcelona if he does move away from Bayern Munich. I think a move is likely to happen at this stage with a new contract uncertain and Bayern also set to have a significant facelift after only winning the Bundesliga title on the final day. All signs point towards Barcelona, but I don’t see there being a natural opening for him at Camp Nou, certainly not as a priority arrival. It could be that he has to consider other options, but at this moment in time it does seem unlikely that he stays at Bayern.
“When interested clubs look at him beyond what he brings on the pitch and his his technical profile, they’ll look at his mentality and some clubs will be put off. Liverpool and Manchester United… I do think that the likes of Klopp and ten Hag will probably see Pavard as a bit of a risk. He does have the ability to play for a top European club but it seems like the player himself already has an idea of what the next move should be in his career and I’m not sure that I necessarily see that being in the Premier League.”
