VfB Stuttgart defender and French international Benjamin Pavard has denied the rumors that he has already agreed a deal to join Bayern Munich next summer.
With two Bundesliga matchdays already passed, we now enter the first international break of the season. Thursday marks the beginning of the UEFA Nations League, with World Cup winners France facing off against their predecessors as world champions Germany. Bayern Munich will have eight total representatives between the two squads.
Benjamin Pavard, who had a breakout summer in Russia, will also feature for the French national team on Thursday. The VfB Stuttgart defender is one of the hottest young players in the Bundesliga and is reportedly set to join Bayern next summer for €35 million.
At least, that’s what the media says. Pavard, however, does not seem so certain about his future. Speaking with L’Equipe, the French international denied coming to any sort of agreement with the German champions.
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"“It’s you journalists who said that I signed for Bayern. I’m good at Stuttgart. The World Cup arrived sooner than expected, even for me. My plan was to stay another season in Germany. I’m at a very big German club with fantastic fans and I’m happy. I’ve signed nothing.”"
It’d be easy to take Pavard’s statement as face value, but I’m inclined to think there’s a bit more too it than meets the eye.
While his statement may technically be true, Pavard doesn’t outright deny that he’ll be joining Bayern Munich next season. He simply explains that he hasn’t signed anything himself. It’s still entirely possible that Stuttgart and Bayern have come to an agreement without the player having to sign a contract or pre-contract yet.
It wouldn’t be wise for anyone official to come out directly and say that Pavard to Bayern is a done deal. There would be no benefit for that to the player or either club.
This statement is also similar to the many Leon Goretzka gave to journalists time and again before finally announcing his impending move to Bayern Munich. Everyone knew the deal would eventually go through, but there was no need for him to confirm that months before he even signed anything official.
Regardless of his statement, Benjamin Pavard is very much one to watch this season for Bayern fans. He’s an excellent, versatile defender who would bring a lot to the club. Whether or not an agreement has been reached yet, it does seem likely he’ll be in Munich this time next season.