Ismael Bennacer’s long-term future with Milan is not a certainty, and though he has a release clause that will soon become active, the Rossoneri could entertain slightly lower offers if they come in this summer, according to recent reports.
Bennacer hasn’t really enjoyed a consistent run in Stefano Pioli’s starting line-up at any stage this season.
He picked up a serious knee injury in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter in at the back end of 2022-23, which kept him out of action until the start of December.
There was then the AFCON tournament in January, from which he returned with a minor muscular injury. He is now a doubt heading into Saturday’s trip to Juventus.
The Algeria international has made 20 appearances in all competitions this term, 15 in Serie A and five in the Europa League, for an average of just over 48 minutes per appearance.
Bennacer release clause
Bennacer joined Milan from Empoli in a deal reported to be worth €16m plus bonuses in 2019. He then signed an extension with the Rossoneri in 2023, and is now under contract until 2027.
Included in his current contract is a release clause worth €50m that will become active this summer according to reports from Calciomercato.com.
However, Friday’s update suggests that Milan could be tempted into listening to offers slightly below the value of the release clause should they come in during the summer transfer window.
Bennacer currently takes home a wage packet of around €4m net, which costs Milan just shy of €8m gross per season. Given that he has not been a consistent starter this season, those figures are relatively high, which could tempt the club into looking at alternative options.
Calciomercato also suggest that there could be clubs interested in Bennacer in both the Premier League and Ligue 1, although a potentially lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia could also be on the cards, as was also the case in January.
#Milan, #Bennacer ancora fuori: in estate può partire, tra clausola e #ArabiaSaudita https://t.co/l1Aj6j2zOi
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) April 26, 2024
Any club crazy enough to offer anything above 15 million should immediately be welcomed to take him. He is still as much of a headless chicken and positionally naive as he was during his first yellow cards dominated season at Milan. No one knows what position best suits him but Bennacer himself thinks he’s Maradona in his own head.