JUST IN: Arsenal renewed interest in €40m-rated Algeria international

Arsenal are lining up a move for Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer ahead of the winter transfer window. The London giants are set to offer €20m in cash plus the price tag of Partey, who would effectively take Ismael’s place. The total package would be worth nearly €55m.

The report adds that the aforementioned Gunners bid might not be enough to lure the Rossoneri, who will say a “categorical no” to a bid of “less than €60m in cash” and will not entertain any bids below that mark.

Bennacer was a rising star in the Gunners’ youth ranks between 2015 and 2017 but was sold to Empoli for a fee of less than £1m in August 2017 after just playing one senior game for Arsenal.

And the Gunners club has lived to regret their decision, as Algeria international’s stellar displays earned him a £14m move to San Siro two years later, with the midfielder since becoming a crucial member for Milan.

The Algerian midfielder has gone on to play 126 games for the Rossoneri across all tournaments during his three-and-a-half-year stay so far, including 31 in Serie A during the 2021-22 title-winning campaign, when he played a crucial role in establishing a highly-efficient midfield alongside Kessie and Tonali.

The 25-year-old midfielder fits the profile perfectly owing to his press-resistance, and dribble-heavy attributes, while he boasts tremendous ability in tight spaces and master at progressing the ball high up the pitch with mazy runs.