Didi Hamann in favor of Bayern Munich signing Kyle Walker, still playing Noussair Mazraoui

Bayern Munich could be on the verge of completing the signing of Kyle Walker from Manchester City. It has been suggested that Benjamin Pavard could be a part of what would become a swap deal with City where Walker would join Bayern and Pavard would go to City.

If a swap deal does go through, Bayern would be asking for €15m in addition to getting Walker, as Pavard is currently valuated at around €30m. This is a move that former Bayern midfielder Didi Hamann is very much in favor of. “He’s undoubtedly a great player. I trust him for another year or two at the top level. He’s incredibly fit. Should Benjamin Pavard change, Walker would definitely be there a good man,” he recently said of the Walker transfer from City (via Az’s Maximilian Koch on Twitter).

Much like Pavard, Walker can also play as one of three center backs in a back three system, which Thomas Tuchel has toyed with before in his half a season in charge of Bayern. Pep Guardiola used it often at Manchester City, or at least a hybrid version of it where his wing backs were tactically used to step up into the midfield and attack, allowing more options going forward in possession. He can be a versatile player for Tuchel whose physically fit and very quick despite being 33 years of age.

This still could spell a difficult season for Noussair Mazraoui, who struggled to get a foothold in Bayern’s team under Julian Nagelsmann or Tuchel. He did suffer the setback with his bout of pericarditis after the World Cup in Qatar, but even prior, he would’ve been expecting to play more often than he had been. He was behind Pavard in the pecking order, and will now more than likely be behind Walker, respectively.

Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images

Even with a reduced role, Hamann was impressed with what he saw from Mazraoui in his first season at Bayern after joining from Ajax last summer. If, for whatever reason, the Walker deal falls through, the player-turned-pundit feels that the Moroccan international should be playing over Pavard. “...I wouldn’t have a problem if Noussair Mazraoui played instead of Pavard. Mazraoui did well in his first Bayern season and also played well at the World Cup,” he argued.