Tottenham Line Up French World Cup Star as Potential Replacement for Toby Alderweireld
Tottenham are targeting France's Benjamin Pavard as a possible replacement for Toby Alderweireld - should the Belgian defender leave the London club this summer.
According to the Mirror, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is very interested in a move for the 22-year-old Stuttgart defender following his impressive showings at the World Cup, should Alderweireld complete his rumoured move to Manchester United.
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Pavard has featured five times in Russia and scored one of the goals of the tournament against Argentina. Didier Deschamps has deployed the young defender as a right-back, over the course of the summer, though Pavard typically plays centre back for his club back in Germany.
That versatility is said to appeal to Pochettino.
The Frenchman has also been used as a makeshift midfielder during his time with Stuttgart, and was one of only four players to feature in every second of their league campaign last season.
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Pavard joined Stuttgart in 2016 from French side Lille, costing the German club £750k. He has made 55 league appearances during his time with the club, and scored two goals. He also signed a long-term deal last December that ties him to the German club for the next three seasons.
However, after a highly impressive World Cup finals showing - where he has reached the final with France - Pavard is widely expected to leave Stuttgart this summer for one of the bigger European clubs. He's also expected to draw in a significant transfer fee.
During the club's final 14 games of the league campaign, Stuttgart conceded just 10 goals and went from sitting near the relegation playoffs to finishing the Bundesliga season in 7th position - just narrowly missing out on European football next season.
