Benjamin Pavard ‘to stay’ at Inter after Benfica approach rejected | OneFootball

Benjamin Pavard is reported to have rejected a summer move to Benfica, opting to remain in Italy with Inter.

Tuttosport reports that the France international wants to continue at Inter even though the club would consider a sale. Benfica have made a centre-back a priority after António Silva’s departure.

The board led by Rui Costa tracked the 30-year-old, who has returned to Inter after a season on loan at Marseille. His profile and Inter’s openness to a deal caught Benfica’s attention.

Inter are said to be willing to negotiate above €12.5 million. A sale would help balance the books and part-fund a move for Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero, which could be around €40 million.

The main obstacle is the player’s stance. He has shown no appetite to leave the Giuseppe Meazza, turning down Benfica and proposals from Galatasaray and Al-Ittihad.

Pavard aims to convince Cristian Chivu he merits a place in Inter’s squad. At the weekend he scored in a friendly against Manchester City, settled on penalties. Even so, competition is strong, with Alessandro Bastoni and Yann Bisseck ahead at centre-back and the expected arrival of Romero likely to reduce his opportunities further.

Source: Glorioso 1904

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”