Inter's Pavard Exit Talks Intensify as Al-Ittihad Pursues Diaby
Inter have stopped pretending. Benjamin Pavard is no longer part of their future, and the club has started moving with intent to cut ties with the French defender before this transfer window shuts.
Cristian Chivu is drawing new lines at the Giuseppe Meazza, and Pavard’s name is not in the blueprint. Inter’s hierarchy, sensing both a tactical and financial turning point, have begun actively working the market to find him a new home.
The trigger? Cristian Romero.
Inter have reached an initial agreement to bring the Argentine defender in from Tottenham Hotspur, a deal that instantly shifts the internal balance. With Romero poised to arrive, Pavard turns from asset to surplus — and from a sporting decision to an economic necessity.
Fabrizio Romano, speaking live on his YouTube channel, laid out the situation with typical clarity: Inter want room in the squad and room on the wage bill. They have started offering Pavard around, including to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, as they look to accelerate his exit and unlock funds for the rest of their market plans.
Pavard, a 2018 World Cup winner with France, is not short of admirers. Big European clubs are circling. Yet the story keeps stalling at the same point: his answer. He has already rejected several official proposals, and his next destination remains wide open.
Inside Inter, patience is thinner. The club want this “file” closed quickly. Saudi money, they believe, can solve the problem in one stroke — a fee that reflects his status, a salary that tempts the player, and a clean break that allows Chivu to move on.
Italian reports, though, paint a more stubborn picture on the player’s side. According to “Tuttosport”, Pavard has already turned down offers from Benfica and Galatasaray. He knows he has no real future under the new technical direction, yet he is refusing to jump at the first exit door that opens.
Al-Ittihad, by contrast, have a different kind of pull. The financial package would be heavy, of course, but there is also the appeal of joining a dressing room packed with global names in a league that has become a magnet for European stars. A move to Jeddah would not only reshape Pavard’s career; it would also give Inter fresh fuel for their own ambitions.
One of those ambitions carries a familiar name: Nico Gonzalez. The Atletico Madrid winger has emerged as one of the players Inter are tracking to strengthen their attack, and any funds raised from Pavard’s sale could ease the push for that kind of signing.
Yet while Inter try to send one Frenchman to Al-Ittihad, another Frenchman is at the heart of a different storm in Jeddah.
Moussa Diaby’s future has become a flashpoint. The Saudi club want to reinforce their squad, but the winger’s camp is, according to reports, pressing hard for an exit from “Al-Ameed”. The tension is growing around a player who was signed as a cornerstone, not a trade chip.
Al-Ittihad’s leadership, though, are not blinking. Their stance is firm: Diaby is one of their key playmakers, on the pitch and in the marketing department, and they will not let him go for anything less than what they consider his true value.
Saudi media figure Hattan Al-Najjar underlined that position with a pointed message on X. He wrote that Al-Ittihad have “no intention” of selling Diaby, dismissing the offers on the table as weak compared to the player’s importance and insisting such bids would not even cover the cost of a proper replacement. For him, 40 million euros is the fair price — and that is only if Al-Ittihad decide to entertain a sale at all.
Despite that resistance, Inter remain deeply involved in Al-Ittihad’s summer narrative. Media figure Mohammed Al-Bakiri reported that the Italian club have already adjusted their approach in an attempt to secure Diaby.
Initially, Al-Ittihad hesitated over a 40 million euro permanent offer from Inter, according to Al-Bakiri. So Inter changed tack. Their revised proposal: a season-long loan worth 28 million euros. The twist? Diaby himself is said to prefer a clean, permanent departure rather than a temporary move.
“Al-Riyadiah” offers a different version of the numbers. The newspaper claims Al-Ittihad have received an official Inter bid worth 18 million euros plus Albanian midfielder Kristjan Asllani in exchange for Diaby. Two offers, two structures, one clear message: Inter are serious.
For Al-Ittihad, the equation is delicate. On one side, the chance to cash in and reshape the squad. On the other, the risk of losing a creative hub who was brought in to help drive the club’s project forward in the Saudi Pro League and beyond.
This is not Diaby’s first dance with the rumour mill. Every previous time his name has been floated, the story has ended the same way: he stays, the noise fades, and Al-Ittihad move on with him still in their colours.
This time feels different. Inter are pushing on two fronts — easing Pavard out while trying to pry Diaby away — and Al-Ittihad sit at the crossroads of both stories. The window is ticking down. The money is on the table. Now the question is simple: who blinks first?
