Jan-Christian Dreesen downplays Benjamin Pavard’s rumored strike

It’s no secret: Benjamin Pavard wants to leave Bayern Munich, and wants to leave now. Bayern have already agreed a deal with Internazionale in principle, but are waiting for a replacement to be lined up before letting Pavard go. However, Pavard has taken this delay extremely poorly, missing several training sessions. While the club has officially stated that this is due to ill health and a back issue, it is rumoured that Pavard has actually gone on strike to try and force a move away.

During the unveiling of new goalkeeping signing Daniel Peretz, Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen had the following to say (as captured on Twitter by @iMiaSanMia):

“Benjamin Pavard has not been in training for the past few days. He was not doing well because he has stomach pains and back pain. I’m quite confident that we will find a solution in the last few days of the transfer window.”

It seems Dreesen too is sticking to the official story. It is hard to believe that Pavard would go on strike when Bayern are ready to let him go and are just waiting for a proper replacement to be found, but at the same time Pavard is known for digging in and taking a stand when he is unhappy with a situation (see also: his struggle with depression during 2020 and bravery in making it public).