According to an exclusive report from Italian news outlet Calciomercato, French World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard wants to stay put at Bundesliga side Stuttgart this summer but could leave next summer.

Pavard, 22, played a key role at right-back in France’s World Cup triumph earlier this month. The youngster scored a screamer as France beat Argentina in the last-16.

The French defender has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, while Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also reportedly said to be interested in securing his signature.

Pavard had a fantastic 2017/18 season in Germany, where he appeared in 34 Bundesliga games and also signed a long-term deal in December, which tied him down until 2021. His new deal contains an exit fee of €33m but it will only be valid from the summer of 2019.

Pavard’s intentions to stay at Stuttgart for the upcoming campaign will come as a huge blow for Tottenham and Bayern. Stuttgart still values him at €50m, however, the Bundesliga club are yet to receive any formal offers from any club, claims Calciomercato.

Keeping in mind that Pavard has no intentions to leave Bundesliga, at least for now, Mauricio Pochettino must move onto to pursue other targets. We are yet to open the account in terms of summer transfer signings and we have very little time before the window slam shuts.

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Reinforcements are desperately needed to challenge for the title next season but so far, it has proven difficult for Pochettino to get the deals done. Let’s hope we sign at least a couple of players in the transfer window to stand a genuine chance to compete for silverware in the upcoming season.