Germany Training Session And Press Conference
HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY - OCTOBER 03: Aleksandar Pavlovic of Germany participates in a training session at Homeground on October 03, 2026 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
CSmith1919 Chuck Smith is the site manager for Bavarian Football Works, where he began writing in 2017. He is the author of The Daily Schmankerl, the longest-running daily Bayern Munich column in English, and also writes The Weekend Warm-Up. In addition to covering Bayern Munich news and providing commentary on Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga, and the German national team. He brings more than 30 years of sports-writing experience to the site. Over the course of his career, he has written for numerous newspapers and websites.
Manchester City apparently wanted Aleksandar Pavlović badly.
Like, really badly.
We had previously heard that Manchester City wanted the Germany international, who shot down the move, but we had not heard just how badly the Premier League powerhouse wanted the midfielder.
According to a report from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), City’s interest in the Bayern Munich midfielder dates back to last spring, with sporting director Hugo Viana making several calls and pushing hard to bring the German international to England.
This was not a situation where Pavlović was some alternative option buried at the bottom of City’s shopping list. He was reportedly a higher priority for City than Enzo Fernández. City were even prepared to go as high as €100 million for Pavlović, and Bayern Munich were made aware of their willingness to pay.
Then Pavlović apparently looked at the whole situation, looked at the opportunity to join one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, looked at €100 million, and essentially said, “Nah, I’m good. I’m Bavarian.”
In reality, Pavlović reportedly rejected the move with a statement that could not possibly be more Bayern Munich: “I’m Bavarian, I’m from Munich, and I want to stay at FC Bayern.”
There is something genuinely refreshing about that.
In an era where players can be tempted by enormous salaries, massive transfer fees, and the allure of playing abroad, Pavlović reportedly had a €100 million Premier League opportunity sitting in front of him and decided that staying home was worth more.
For Bayern Munich, that is obviously fantastic news. Pavlović is not just another talented midfielder coming through the academy system. He is a Munich-born player who came through the club and has already established himself at the highest level.
Manchester City can offer a lot of things—just not what Pavlović wanted.
And honestly, that might be worth more than €100 million.
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