Marseille set to make Ismaël Bennacer loan move permanent at end of season | OneFootball

According to a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Olympique de Marseille are set to trigger a €12m buy clause for midfielder Ismaël Bennacer (27) to make his loan move permanent at the end of the current season. The Algerian international has made seven appearances so far for Les Olympiens, after moving on loan from Italian side AC Milan. Marseille reportedly already paid €1m to secure his services on loan, and are planning to trigger the option to make the deal permanent for a reported €12m plus €3m in bonuses.Bennacer has missed much of the season with a calf injury suffered right at the start of the campaign. As a result, he has made just eight appearances in all competitions, including just six in Serie A. Marseille saw the opportunity and reignited their interest in the player following the midfield departure of Ismaël Koné (22) to Stade Rennais on loan. Roberto De Zerbi revealed that he tried to sign the Algerian at Brighton, but the pull of OM and Bennacer’s connection to the local area managed to sway the Milan midfielder to move to Provence. “I wanted him to come when Moises Caicedo went to Chelsea,” revealed the OM manager. “It is a big transfer for us. His characteristics suit our style of play. He is a complete player, a top player and another one for us. He really wanted to come to Marseille. We already spoke about him in August, but we didn’t manage to conclude it. When Medhi Benatia told me that there was the possibility to do it, we stopped the music,” added De Zerbi. GFFN | George Boxall