Barcelona are reportedly ready to wait until the summer before pursuing a move for Bayern Munich right-back Benjamin Pavard.
The France international now has just 18 months left to run on his contract at the Allianz Arena and is believed to be open to a new challenge at this stage of his career.
The addition of Noussair Mazraoui to Bayern's ranks in the summer pushed Pavard down the pecking order, although the 26-year-old has still started 13 Bundesliga matches this season as Mazraoui remains sidelined with a heart inflammation.
However, with Joao Cancelo arriving from Manchester City on deadline day for the remainder of the season and potentially joining permanently in the summer, the door could be open for Pavard to leave in a few months' time.
Manchester United and Chelsea were previously linked with a swoop for the former Stuttgart man, but Barcelona now appear to be leading the race for his services.
A late January deal for Pavard will seemingly not come to fruition, though, as journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Barcelona will wait until the summer before making their move.
Romano adds that Pavard is "very keen" on a switch to Catalonia, where he could act as a replacement for Hector Bellerin, who is expected to join Sporting Lisbon before the January window closes.
Pavard has registered nine goals and 11 assists in 142 appearances for Bayern since joining from Stuttgart in 2019, including four strikes from 23 outings this term.
Ben Knapton
