Paris Saint-Germain have made a £25 million bid for AC Milan enforcer Ismael Bennacer, according to Le10 Sport, after Arsenal sold the Algeria international for just £900,000.
The irony of this situation will not be lost on anyone at the Emirates.
While Arsenal are once again scouring the market for a man capable of stepping into a Gilberto Silva-shaped void at the heart of the Gunners’ midfield, there is a nagging concern that blockbusting, big-money moves for the likes of Thomas Partey and Marc Roca are distinctly unlikely.
A pair of La Liga stars would probably have been too expensive anyway, even before the global health crisis saw Mikel Arteta’s transfer budget shrink ever further.
So, if only the North London giants could turn back the clock.
Because Bennacer, a man whose one and only Arsenal appearance came in a 3-0 EFL Cup thrashing at Sheffield Wednesday, appears to be closing in on a £25 million deal to swap one European giant for another.
A shining light in another dark season for AC Milan, Le10 Sport claims that PSG have now made a bid of £25 million as they look to add the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation winner to their already star-studded midfield.
When you consider that Arsenal sold the very same player for less than £1 million during the final days of Arsene Wenger’s reign, this feels like another head-in-hands moment for a club who continue to shoot themselves in the foot at an alarming rate.
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