Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea are prepared to battle to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, reports TEAMtalk.
The Germany international has become a key man for the Bundesliga giants, though he has started just five league games this season, making a further seven appearances off the bench.
Even so, Bayern are unlikely to sanction Pavlovic’s exit anytime soon, but the 21-year-old has attracted interest from City and Chelsea.
City eyeing Pavlovic as long-term Rodri successor
City are looking into bolstering in the middle of the park, with the youngster viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Rodri.
Rodri has struggled to remain consistently fit since suffering a serious ACL injury in City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last September.
The 29-year-old has been restricted to just six league outings this season, four of which have been from the outset, the most recent of which came in the 1-0 win over Brentford back in October.
The Cityzens brought in Nico Gonzalez from Porto in January to ease Rodri’s absence, but the feel at the club is that they can improve upon the 23-year-old in a key area.
And Pavlovic, who was wanted by rivals Manchester United over the summer, has emerged as a potential target for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Bayern star has dictated play well when called upon by Vincent Kompany this season having returned the best pass success rate (94.2%) of all central midfielders in the Bundesliga.
Chelsea ready to rival City for Pavlovic
However, they’d face competition from Chelsea were Bayern willing to consider offers for the young German.
The Blues are often in the hunt for the best young talents in world football, and Pavlovic would fit the bill for the west London side.
Additionally, Chelsea are set to prioritise central midfield in the 2026 transfer windows, with Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson all linked with a Stamford Bridge switch.
Both City and Chelsea will hope to follow up midweek EFL Cup wins over Brentford and Cardiff, respectively, with victory in the Premier League this weekend.
Chelsea take on Newcastle in the lunchtime kick off, while City have the chance to go top of the Premier League when they welcome West Ham to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
