Ismael Bennacer never played a Premier League game for Arsenal but he has reportedly caught the eye of Lyon and Napoli in Serie A.
Ismael Bennacer is far from a household name at Arsenal but that could soon change.
The midfielder spent just two years in the Gunners’ academy between 2015 and 2017, his only appearance coming in a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup before he moved to Italy with Empoli.
But, while Bennacer didn’t make the grade at the Emirates, he has shone in Serie A. At the age of 21, the Algerian international is rapidly establishing himself as one of the league’s most promising midfielders, starting 25 games in his deep-lying play-maker role for Empoli.
Fortunately for Arsenal, it seems they saw Bennacer’s rise coming. Le10 Sport claims they included a buy-back clause in his contract and, while Unai Emery hasn’t shown any ‘concrete interest’ yet, it might be just a matter of time before the France-born talent is on his way back to the Emirates.
The report points out that Bennacer has caught the eye of Lyon while Napoli have offered around £14 million, highlighting just how highly-rated he is on the continent.
Maybe Arsenal should aim to rectify their mistake as quickly as possible.
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