Benjamin Pavard turned down Benfica, reason revealed | OneFootball

Benjamin Pavard has reportedly turned down the chance to join Benfica in this summer transfer window. The news was reported this Tuesday by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, which claims the French international wants to remain at Inter Milan, even though the Italian club is open to a sale. Signing a centre-back is a priority for the Eagles following António Silva’s departure.

who recently returned to Inter after a loan spell at Marseille. The player’s high profile and the possibility of the Italian champions letting him go sparked Benfica’s interest.

Inter would be willing to negotiate Pavard for a fee above €12.5 million, in a deal that would help balance the books and fund the signing of Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero, whose transfer could be worth around €40 million.

However, the main obstacle to the transfer appears to be the player’s own wishes. According to Tuttosport, Pavard has shown no willingness to leave the Giuseppe Meazza, rejecting not only a potential move to Benfica, but also offers from clubs such as Galatasaray and Al-Ittihad.

The French international’s goal is to convince Cristian Chivu that he deserves a place in Inter’s squad. In fact, last weekend, Pavard scored one of the Italian side’s goals in the warm-up match against Manchester City, which was decided on penalties. Even so, competition is expected to be fierce. Alessandro Bastoni and Yann Bisseck are the main options for the centre of defence, while the expected arrival of Cristian Romero could further reduce the player’s space in the Milan side.

Watch Pavard’s goal for France:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.