Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard has ended speculation he is leaving at the end of the season, saying on Thursday he had never intimated he wanted to.
The 26-year-old France wingback's contract runs out in 2024, giving rise to speculation he could be set for a Premier League move or a return to France in the summer.
"I'm not the one who leaves the ship in the middle of the journey," he told German publication Sport1.
Benjamin Pavard on his future: “I’ve never said I wanted to leave. I'm at a very big club, I feel comfortable here at Bayern and my goal was definitely to stay at Bayern. I like the club and the fans. I hope we can achieve big things this season." [@kerry_hau] pic.twitter.com/5BvR1wtG2B
— Bayern & Football (@MunichFanpage) March 2, 2023
Bayern reportedly received an offer from Inter Milan for the World Cup-winning defender in January but rejected it.
"I know very well that I am in a big club where everything is excellent.
"I feel very comfortable here and I like the fans. I hope we can still achieve great things this season."
Pavard, who joined Bayern in the summer of 2019 from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart, credited coach Julian Nagelsmann for his recent run of good form.
"The kind of football he wants to play is exactly what I like. It's attacking football where you are always on the move.
"I learn from him every day how I can improve."
Pavard will miss the return leg of Bayern's last 16 Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in Munich next Wednesday.
The defender was sent off in injury time for a challenge on Lionel Messi in Bayern's 1-0 victory at the Parc des Princes last month.