Former Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer has a £65,000-a-week offer on the table from a Premier League club as Serie A champions AC Milan look to tie the Algeria international down to a new contract, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
Serge Gnabry is not the only player to taste domestic glory on foreign soil since leaving Arsenal for a fraction of his current value.
24-year-old Bennacer was a key cog in Stefano Pioli’s Milan machine in 2021/22; providing a solid platform on which his more-gifted team-mates could strut their stuff, dragging the Rossoneri to their first Scudetto triumph since the Max Allegri era.
And, with his contract expiring in 2024, Milan are taking nothing for chance as they look to avoid a repeat of those Franck Kessie, Hakan Calhanoglu and Gianluigi Donnarumma situations.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, however, the seven-time European champions are facing more problems than they initially expected. Bennacer is reportedly on the radar of several European giants; including one Premier League outfit rumoured to be offering him around £3.5 million-a-year. Or, if you like, £65,000-a-week.
A package far larger than Milan were planning to offer.
Could ex-Arsenal man Ismael Bennacer return to the Premier League?
As things stand, the identity of Bennacer’s Premier League suitor remains shrouded in mystery. Chelsea have been linked. As have a Liverpool side in need of some extra energy at the heart of an ageing engine room showing signs of rust. Who knows, perhaps Arsenal themselves are planning to bring Bennacer back to North London, due to the absence of genuine competition for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.
“I came across Ismael at Arsenal with the U19s,” recalls Gunners legend Thierry Henry (CBS Sport).
“He’s very much a defensive midfielder. What I like about him is that he will look to pass the ball forward. The anticipation; he never gives up. And he is trying all the time to stop the opposition so he can go forward.
“He is a very good player. I am happy for him. When you leave a big club like Arsenal, then you find yourself in a situation (where you think); ‘where am I going to go?’. He didn’t feel sorry for himself and he did find a way.”
Bennacer made just one first-team appearance for Arsenal, coming in a 3-0 EFL Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. He joined Empoli for just £900,000 in 2017.
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