Inter Moving Benjamin Pavard Out as Cristian Romero Joins
Inter are moving Benjamin Pavard towards the exit door with a clarity that leaves little room for interpretation.
Cristian Chivu’s new cycle at the Giuseppe Meazza does not include the French World Cup winner. The club has started acting on that reality, and quickly.
Pavard pushed out as Romero deal reshapes Inter’s defence
According to Fabrizio Romano, Inter have taken concrete steps to offload Pavard during this transfer window, driven by both tactical choices and hard numbers on the balance sheet. The club have reached an initial agreement to bring in Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur, a deal that reshapes their defensive hierarchy and makes Pavard surplus to requirements.
To clear space in the squad and trim the wage bill, Inter have begun offering Pavard around. Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that the Nerazzurri have proposed the defender to Al-Ittihad and several other clubs, hoping to accelerate his departure and unlock funds for the rest of their summer business.
The market, though, is not bending to Inter’s will as quickly as they would like.
Pavard remains a player of genuine pedigree, and interest from major European clubs underlines that. Yet his next destination is still wide open. He has already turned down official offers that reached him in recent weeks, a stance that only adds to Inter’s urgency to “close this file” and move on.
Offers rejected, future unresolved
Reports in Italy paint the picture of a player in no hurry. Under pressure from Inter, Pavard is still taking his time. “Tuttosport” report that he has flatly rejected proposals from Benfica and Galatasaray, even though he knows he does not feature in Chivu’s long-term plans.
Saudi Arabia, however, remains firmly on the table.
Al-Ittihad appeal to Pavard not only for the financial package on offer but also for the level of talent gathered in the Saudi Pro League. A move to Jeddah would drop him into a dressing room packed with global names and hand Inter a significant financial boost of their own.
That cash could quickly be recycled. Italian reports link Inter with Atletico Madrid winger Nico Gonzalez as one of the attacking targets they are tracking for next season. Pavard’s sale, particularly to a Saudi club with spending power, would help fuel that push.
Al-Ittihad juggle Pavard and Diaby
While Inter circle around Al-Ittihad for Pavard, the Saudi club are wrestling with a different problem: the future of Moussa Diaby.
The French winger is central to their plans, yet, according to local reports, his camp is pushing hard for a way out. Al-Ittihad want to strengthen, not dismantle, their squad, and the tension around Diaby’s situation is growing.
Inside the club, the line is firm. The board have no intention of giving up one of their most influential playmakers on the cheap, especially when the bids arriving do not match either the technical value he brings on the pitch or the marketing weight he carries off it.
Saudi media figure Hattan Al-Najjar made that stance public in a post on X. He wrote that Al-Ittihad have “no intention” of selling Diaby, describing the offers received as weak compared to the player’s importance and insisting they would not even cover the cost of a proper replacement. He added that pressure from the player’s agent or from a German club would not change the equation, and set 40 million euros as a fair value “if” Al-Ittihad were to consider a sale.
Inter’s pursuit of Diaby complicates the picture
Inter are not only tied to Al-Ittihad through Pavard. They are also pushing on the Diaby front.
Media figure Mohammed Al-Bakiri reports that the Italian club have adjusted their proposal to try to prise Diaby away this summer. Al-Ittihad, he says, hesitated over Inter’s 40 million euro offer for a permanent transfer. In response, Inter put a new structure on the table: a season-long loan worth 28 million euros.
Diaby, though, is understood to favour a clean, permanent move rather than a temporary switch.
The plot thickens with a different version from newspaper “Al-Riyadiah”. Their reporting claims Al-Ittihad have received an official Inter offer of 18 million euros plus Albanian midfielder Kristjan Asllani in exchange for Diaby.
Two figures, two structures, one constant: Inter want Diaby, and Al-Ittihad are not easy sellers.
This is not the first window in which Diaby’s name has been floated on the market. Each previous time, the rumours have ended the same way – with the Frenchman still in Jeddah, still in black and yellow.
Now, with Pavard on the market, Romero incoming, Inter’s attack under review and Al-Ittihad trying to hold their ground, the next few days promise to test the resolve of all parties. One move could unlock the rest. Or the window could close with Pavard waiting, Diaby staying, and everyone asking where the balance of power in this new transfer landscape truly lies.
