Lille OSC is an ambitious move to bring Benjamin Pavard back to his formative club, according to a report from Foot Mercato.
The 29-year-old was a Lille Academy product before his transfer 2016 to VFB Stuttgart, where his performances caught the attention of the French manager Didier Deschamps. Deschamps made Pavard the starting right back in the title -winning run from Les Bleus to the World Cup 2018.
The door is reportedly open to Pavard to leave Inter Milan, where he is under contract until 2028, after he joined Bayern Munich. It is expected that transfer costs near the € 20 million figure will be sufficient for the Nerazzurri to participate in the negotiating table. The competition to sign Pavard is expected to be fierce. Foot Mercato understands that Pavard had been in short conversations with the NEOM SC from Saudi Pro League, while Galatasaray has made the versatile defender a priority reconciliation.
Lille is said to be aware of the complexity of such a deal to bring Pavard home. The Lille Academy product is said to be the fourth World Cup winner of 2018 who will be a member of Ligue 1 this summer, after Monaco's Paul Pogba, Lens' Florian Thauvin and Lille's Olivier Giroud. If they fail in their pursuit of Pavard, Lille would like Fenerbahçe Centrum-Back Diego Carlos on loan because they need a replacement for Bafodé Diakité, who became a member of Bournemouth.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval