Inter Push Pavard Toward Exit Amid Al-Ittihad and Diaby Negotiations

Inter’s rebuild under Cristian Chivu has found its first major casualty. Benjamin Pavard, World Cup winner and once a defensive pillar in Milan, is now firmly on the market – and Inter are actively trying to move him on before the window closes.

Chivu’s technical plans no longer include the Frenchman. The club have shifted direction, and Pavard, with his salary and status, has become a luxury they no longer want to carry. The turning point is clear: an initial agreement to bring Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur. With Romero earmarked for a central role, Inter see Pavard’s exit as both a tactical adjustment and a financial necessity.

According to Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, Inter have gone beyond quietly listening to offers. They are offering Pavard out. Saudi side Al-Ittihad are among the clubs approached, as the Nerazzurri look to free space in the squad and on the wage bill, and unlock the funds needed to complete the Romero deal and pursue other targets.

The problem? Pavard is not playing along at the speed Inter would like.

He remains a defender with serious pedigree and is still drawing interest from major European clubs. Yet, despite that interest, his next move is unresolved. Reports in Italy state he has already turned down official proposals, and “Tuttosport” claim he has rejected Benfica and Galatasaray outright. He knows Chivu’s project has no place for him, but he is in no rush to accept the first door that opens.

Al-Ittihad, though, sit in an intriguing position.

For Pavard, the Saudi club offers more than a sizeable contract. The prospect of joining a dressing room loaded with established stars in a league that continues to attract big names has its own pull. A move to Jeddah would also hand Inter a timely boost, giving them the financial room to move more aggressively on other fronts.

One of those fronts is Atletico Madrid winger Nico Gonzalez, highlighted in Italy as a serious option to reinforce Inter’s attack for next season. Pavard’s departure, especially to a cash-rich Saudi side, could be the trigger that funds that next wave of recruitment.

While Pavard weighs up his future, Al-Ittihad are dealing with turbulence of their own around another Frenchman: Moussa Diaby.

The winger is central to the Saudi club’s project, yet there is growing noise around his future. Al-Ittihad want to strengthen, not dismantle, but reports suggest Diaby’s agent is pushing hard to engineer an exit from “Al-Ameed”. The club’s hierarchy, however, are digging in.

Inside Jeddah, the stance is firm. Al-Ittihad do not want to lose one of their key playmakers, especially not for offers that fail to reflect what they paid and what he represents on and off the pitch. Saudi media figure Hattan Al-Najjar underlined that position in a post on X, insisting there is “no intention” to sell Diaby and branding the current offers as weak compared to his value and importance. He even put a number on it: 40 million euros as the fair valuation, and only then, hypothetically, if Al-Ittihad were to consider a sale.

Inter, undeterred, remain in the picture.

Saudi journalist Mohammed Al-Bakiri reports that the Italians have already adjusted their approach. Their initial 40 million euro offer to buy Diaby outright did not convince Al-Ittihad, leading Inter to float a different formula: a season-long loan worth 28 million euros. Diaby, though, is said to prefer a clean, permanent departure rather than a temporary move.

The figures are far from settled. “Al-Riyadiah” offers another version of events, claiming Al-Ittihad have received an official Inter proposal of 18 million euros plus Albanian midfielder Kristjan Asllani in exchange for Diaby. Two different structures, one target, and a Saudi club that does not appear eager to fold.

For Al-Ittihad, the situation is delicate. On one side, they are being asked to consider taking Pavard off Inter’s hands, a move that could add another high-profile European defender to their squad. On the other, they are resisting attempts from the same Italian club to prise away Diaby, a player they see as central to their sporting and marketing strategy.

For Inter, the equation is just as tight. Pavard must leave to clear space and cash. Romero is waiting. Attacking reinforcements like Nico Gonzalez and, if they can ever crack the code, Diaby, remain on the list. Every outgoing and incoming deal is tied together in a chain of negotiations stretching from Milan to Jeddah and beyond.

Pavard’s reluctance to jump at early offers and Al-Ittihad’s refusal to bow to pressure over Diaby have turned what could have been straightforward transactions into a complex summer standoff.

The market clock is ticking. Someone, somewhere, will have to blink first.