Chelsea are plotting a swoop to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, according to Fichajes.
Pavlovic came through the ranks at Bayern’s academy before making his first-team debut in the 8-0 Bundesliga victory against Darmstadt on October 28, 2023.
He ended the 2023-24 campaign with 19 appearances in the Bundesliga, 14 of them starts, and has since firmly established himself on the team sheet for Vincent Kompany’s side.
This season, the German midfielder has featured in 32 games across all competitions, playing a crucial role in Bayern’s steady surge to their 34th Bundesliga title and their seventh Champions League title, where they’ll be facing Atalanta.
With four goal contributions along with a solid defensive rate that allows Joshua Kimmich to roam freely, it’s unsurprising that those displays have piqued interest from clubs, especially with the summer window approaching.
According to Fichajes, Chelsea are showing the ‘most interest’ in Pavlovic and have made a formal move to sign the midfielder as Liam Rosenior looks to reinforce his attack.
The Club World Cup champions view his distribution, creativity and technicality as a viable fit for their squad, but his high valuation could complicate a deal.
Pavlovic to Chelsea
Chelsea already have an array of midfield options, including Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia, and Dario Essugo, while academy star Reggie Walsh, who became the club’s youngest European starter at the age of 16 years and 200 days, is also highly regarded by the club.
However, they may do with more depth, as incessant injuries to Lavia and Essugo, as well as Rosenior’s preference to deploy Fernandez in advanced roles, have seen right-back Reece James play in defensive midfield, while Malo Gusto has occasionally played in midfield.
Hence, a move for Pavlovic makes sense, as he’s proven to be one of the most exciting central midfielders in Europe. The German international is a tenacious, combative midfielder who is equally efficient on the ball and, at 21, fits into Chelsea’s youth-driven strategy.
Amid Chelsea’s keen interest, Bayern will not accept any offers below £77-86m for the defensive midfielder, according to Fichajes, so it’ll be interesting to see if the London giants will match the Bavarians’ valuation, negotiate for a favourable fee, or move on to other affordable targets.
