Meunier or Pavard: the two full-backs who could sign for Barcelona

Barcelona have already begun to make decisions regarding their next sporting project. The idea was to advance some operations in the January window, but it is practically impossible to get around the financial limitations imposed by LaLiga.

One of the main priorities is to sign a right-back and it seems that the last options standing will be two Bundesliga players: Thomas Meunier (Dortmund) and Benjamin Pavard (Bayern), two players that will be on the market and convince the club, even if they would not be their first choices.

OBJECTIVES

The sporting committee and the coaching staff have been analysing the full-back market for a long time and the conclusion is that differential footballers in that position are prohibitively expensive.

Xavi Hernández liked the Argentine Juan Foyth above all, but Villarreal are not willing to negotiate and demand his release clause of €54.6 million. There has been practically no contact between clubs since the summer, but there has been talks with the player's camp and there is a feeling that signing him will be impossible now or next summer.

Another option was Diogo Dalot, but Manchester United have unilaterally renewed his contract for one year and a transfer would have to be negotiated with the English club. The Portuguese full-back would have been a priority at no cost, although with the new parameters it is difficult to incorporate him.

In fact, Barça they believe that the player will now end up reaching an agreement with United to renew for several more seasons.

In this situation, Barça has focused on signing a reliable full-back at a consistent market price and who serves to occupy the position for a minimum of two seasons. The two players who fit are Meunier and Pavard. The former's contract ends in 2024, so he will be on the market at a very competitive price. Barça have tried to sign him on several occasions but Dortmund refused to let him go, something that will change in the coming months. Barça's sporting director Jordi Cruyff has great reports on him and the player has already given the OK to move to Camp Nou. It would be a 'low-cost' option for someone with a lot of international experience.

The other option is Pavard. The Frenchman is totally at odds with his coach at Bayern and has already said publicly that he wants to leave Germany. He also only has 18 months left on his contract and his price could be around €15 million, a figure below his value in the circumstances.

In football terms, there is no doubt that he is a reliable and interesting operation, but the club have certain objections due to the character of the player. Pavard has had several internal disputes at Bayern and also in the French team and, in addition, it seems that now he prioritises playing more as a center-back than a full-back. He has been spoken to and he seems willing to assume the role of full-back at the Blaugrana, although he has offers from the Premier League and Serie A, too, and will not wait for Barça.