French club Olympique de Marseille was unable to sign AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer in the final moments of the summer transfer market, but the story is not over yet, as French media reports revealed today, Thursday, September 5, 2024, the promise made by coach Roberto De Zerbi to the Algerian international.
Marseille was hoping to complete Ben Nasser deal In the last days of the transfer market, but he did not succeed in doing so due to his inability to get rid of some players at the right time, which made the Algerian international continue his adventure with AC Milan, which decided to put his name on the club’s list for the Champions League.
The newspaper reported:laprovence“The French club tried hard to sign Bennacer during the last ten days of the transfer window. Despite the interest of other clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Juventus, the Algerian international was leaning towards moving to Marseille, where he was greatly influenced by the personality of coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Marseille coach De Zerbi’s promise to Algerian Ismael Bennacer
According to the newspaper, there were intense talks between Ismael Bennacer and De Zerbi, who promised the player to reopen the discussion in January. De Zerbi told the player: “Give your best in the matches, and we will talk again in January,” according to the same source.
While Marseille remain calm, insisting that winter decisions will not be made until November, there seems to be a good chance Bennacer will be reopened in the winter transfer window, especially since the player is keen to try a new experience in the French league.
The Algerian international’s market value is 30 million euros. He is one of the most prominent players in the midfield position on the European scene, and is considered one of the mainstays of the Milan squad. He was among the most prominent contributors to the club’s coronation of the Italian League title in the 2022-23 season.
Bennacer moved to Milan from Empoli in a deal worth around 17 million euros, while his contract with the Rossoneri extends until June 30, 2027.
During his career with Milan, Ismael Bennacer played 171 matches, during which he scored 8 goals and provided 11 assists for his teammates. If it weren’t for the curse of injuries, the Algerian international’s numbers would have been much better than those currently recorded.
