Yahoo Sports CM: Kone and capital gains – why Bennacer’s Milan future ‘remains a puzzle’
Despite the fact that he started AC Milan’s first game of the season against Torino on Saturday night, Ismael Bennacer can leave the club before the window shuts for the right offer.
Calciomercato.com report that Bennacer’s future ‘remains a puzzle’ as we head into the final part of the summer transfer window. Paulo Fonseca named him in the XI against Torino but he didn’t shine, and the words from Zlatan Ibrahimovic about Manu Kone add fuel to the exit talk.
Bennacer was not inadequate in his 59 minutes on the pitch on Saturday, but surely if Fonseca wants to play with this system all season, the Algerian midfielder will not be able to see the pitch regularly. He does not guarantee the necessary balance, and some say he hasn’t been the same since his injury.
The purchase of Youssouf Fofana was pursued for a long time by Milan precisely to overcome these problems and after two months of negotiations, his arrival at Milanello will inevitably take up a lot of the minutes that Bennacer might have played.
There is a €50m release clause in the former Empoli man’s deal and Milan know that – even accepting a bit below that – they could obtain a large capital gain, as well as a large saving on the salary of €4m net per year.
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If he were to depart then Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach is the target to replace him. However, the contacts from Saudi Arabia have never gone beyond simple enquiries and there has been no official offer.
Time is running out for a solution to be found and, although the Arabian market closes well beyond the Italian deadline of August 30, Milan cannot afford to sell him without having the time to find an alternative.
