AC Milan Transfer News: Ismael Bennacer set to join the Rossoneri
What's the story?
According to reports in the Italian media, AC Milan are close to signing Empoli midfielder Ismael Bennacer on a five-year contract, for a fee of €16 million plus €1 million in add-ons.
In case you didn't know...
Bennacer joined Arsenal in 2015 and was shipped out on loan to French club Tours immediately after.
During his time in north London, the Algerian failed to make any Premier League appearances for the Gunners, with his only cameo in an Arsenal shirt coming in a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.
Bennacer was subsequently sold to Empoli for a fee of €1 million. Although he failed to make the cut under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal realized that the Algerian midfielder had loads of potential, owing to which they negotiated a buy-back clause during his sale. The Gunners also included a 30% sell-on clause for any future fee.
Arsenal rejected the option to exercise their buy-back clause but are going to receive a windfall of €5 million from the midfielders sale to Milan.
The heart of the matter...
According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal which will bring Bennacer to San Siro is valued at €17 million overall, and he's expected to be a crucial cog in manager Marco Giampolo's Milan jigsaw.
The former Arsenal man had a breakout 2018/19 season for Empoli in the Serie A and has followed it up with fantastic displays for Algeria in the ongoing Africa Cup Of Nations.
Owing to his stellar performances in the center of the park for the Desert Foxes, Bennacer was named the player of the group stages by the CAF and was also included in the best XI of the group stages of the biennial tournament.
Midfield has been a huge sticking point for Milan for quite a while now and has found itself in a state of stasis.
Bennacer's arrival will ease their woes considerably and add a different dimension to the Italian behemoth's starting eleven.
A perfect concoction of technique, tenacity, and ability to read the game make the Algerian a brilliant coup for the Rossoneri, especially considering how inexpensive the deal is in accordance with the latest market trends.
What's next?
With Milan being banned from the Europa League for violating FFP regulations, we can expect deals of this nature to be much more commonplace for the Italian giants - young, low-cost targets with lots of potential and Serie A experience being brought in to replenish the squad.