Why Inter sacrificed Pavard and not Bisseck after signing Akanji | OneFootball

It was a case of one in, one out for Inter on transfer deadline day, as the Nerazzurri welcomed Manuel Akanji from Manchester City and sent Benjamin Pavard on loan to Marseille with an option to buy, but some have questioned why the club decided to sacrifice the Frenchman instead of Yann Bisseck.

Inter transfer deadline day re-cap

Inter made their fifth permanent addition of the summer on the last day of the summer transfer window, signing Akanji on loan with a possible obligation to buy from Manchester City. The Nerazzurri spent €1m to sign the Switzerland international on loan, and will have an option that could become an obligation to buy permanently for an additional €15m.

Later on in the day, the Nerazzurri confirmed the departure of Pavard to Marseille. The formula of the deal was very similar to the one that brought Akanji to San Siro: Marseille have signed Pavard on loan with an option to buy for €15m.

Official: Inter sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City.

There had, however, been suggestions earlier in the window that Bisseck could be sold for a significant profit.

Premier League side Crystal Palace had seen a €32m bid for the one-time Germany international turned down at the end of July, with Inter reportedly holding out for an offer of €40m instead.

Bisseck had joined the Nerazzurri at a cost of €7m two seasons ago.

Why Inter sold Pavard and not Bisseck

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 02: Yann Aurel Bisseck of FC Internazionale gets past Tammy Abraham of AC Milan during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

There are two main reasons why Inter decided to keep hold of Bisseck and sacrifice Pavard instead.

The first part comes down to age and future value. Inter’s transfer policy under current owners Oaktree revolves around the signings of young players with future sell-on value, as evidenced by the purchases of Luis Henrique, Petar Sucic, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Andy Diouf this summer, all of whom are aged between 21 and 23.

Bisseck is currently 24 and still has the potential to increase his value on the transfer market, while Pavard will be into his 30s by the end of the season, and is only likely to see his value decrease over time.

Benjamin Pavard applauds the fans after the team’s victory during the UEFA Champions League match against  FC Salzburg at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 24, 2023 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

By selling Bisseck instead of Pavard, Inter would have been left with an ageing set of centre-back options of the largely unproven Tomas Palacios, Alessandro Bastoni (26), Pavard (29), Akanji (30), Stefan De Vrij (33) and Francesco Acerbi (37).

Secondly, Bisseck offers slightly more tactical versatility than Pavard. The Frenchman was typically deployed on the right of a back three during his time in San Siro, while Bisseck is capable of covering on both sides of the defensive line.