Now confirmed - Inter Milan sign Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard

31 Aug 2023

Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard is set to join Inter Milan. After a deal with Manchester United seemed possible but fell apart when Harry Maguire opted not to move to West Ham United, that door closed for Pavard earlier this month. But in Serie A side Inter Milan a new candidate emerged and after long and drawn-out negotiations the deal was officially announced on Wednesday night. 

“Yes, Benjamin Pavard is part of our targets list—not the only player,” Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi was quoted by Romano earlier this month. However, the two parties were significantly apart for much of the negotiations. Finally, Inter Milan set a deadline for Tuesday for the deal to either go through or for the Italian side to walk away from a potential transfer. But a deal has now been struck, and according to Fabrizio Romano, Bayern will receive an initial €30 million plus €2m in performance-based add-ons. That deal is very close to the €35m Bayern initially demanded for the player. 

Either way, 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 earlier this month that he is desperate to leave the Bavarian capital. 

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.