After failed Man United deal - Inter Milan the only option for Benjamin Pavard?

What will happen to Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard? A deal with Manchester United seemed possible, but with Harry Maguire not moving on to West Ham United, that door closed for Pavard earlier this week. A new candidate is now Serie A side Inter Milan. According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Inter are now in negotiations with Bayern to sign the French defender. 

“Yes, Benjamin Pavard is part of our targets list—not the only player,” Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi was quoted by Romano. The only problem is that the two parties are still some ways apart in their evaluation of the player. Bayern want at least €30m plus bonuses that would see the deal grow to €35m for the 27-year-old World Cup winner. Inter Milan, in the meantime, have offered €25m on Friday. Although the parties are still somewhat apart, a solution does seem possible, and Pavard was benched by Thomas Tuchel for Bayern’s opener against Werder Bremen on Friday. 

Either way, it seems likely that Pavard is going to leave Bayern Munich. For some time, Pavard has been unhappy about his role at the German record champions. While he has been primarily used as a right-back during his time in Munich, Pavard himself sees himself as a center-back. Furthermore, Pavard told Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen in a personal conversation this week that he is desperate to leave the Bavarian capital. 

Benjamin Pavard to Inter Milan – Why the Frenchman is desperate to leave Bayern 

It has been clear for several months that Pavard does not want to renew his contract, which is set to expire in the summer of 2024. In 2019, Bayern used an exit clause to sign the French national team player for €35m from league competitor VfB Stuttgart. Capable of playing both a center-back and right-back, Pavard has played 162 games across all competitions for Bayern, scoring 12 goals and 12 assists. 

For Pavard, his flexibility has been both a blessing and a curse. Since joining Bayern, Pavard played 115 games (seven goals and ten assists) as a right-back and just 44 games (two goals and two assists) as a center-back. Under new Bayern boss Tuchel, Pavard predominantly featured as a center-back but was moved out to the right-back position in the key games against Man City and Bayern’s season finale against 1. FC Köln. Pavard also played as a right-back against RB Leipzig in the DFL Supercup (0-3) but was taken off at halftime after a dismal performance. 

Man United without Maguire may have offered an escape route for Pavard, whose options seem to dwindle as we are approaching the end of the transfer window. But will Inter Milan be a good fit? According to the Transfermarkt database, Inzaghi’s preferred system is a flat 3-5-2. Last season, right-back Matteo Darmian played the right side of the back three in the Champions League final against Man City. That role could be perfect for Pavard, who remains a hybrid of a center-back and a classical full-back.