Official: Milan send Bennacer to Olympique Marseille with option to buy | OneFootball

Milan have officially handed midfielder Ismael Bennacer to Olympique Marseille on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

According to various reports, the agreement is for a €1m loan fee, then there is an option to make it permanent in July 2025 for a further €12m plus €3m in bonuses.

The 27-year-old had joined Milan from Empoli in the summer of 2019 at a cost of €17.2m and went on to make 178 competitive appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and contributing 12 assists.

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 11: Ismael Bennacer of AC Milan in action during the Serie A TIM match between AC Milan and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 11, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

He helped Milan to win the Scudetto and the Supercoppa Italiana, but the highlight of his career remains the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria in 2019, where he was named Player of the Tournament.

Bennacer was born and raised in France, so this is a return for the player who left for the Arsenal youth academy in 2015 and has been in Italy since 2017 at Empoli and then Milan.

He has been replaced in the Rossoneri squad by Warren Bondo, who completed a permanent transfer from Monza today for €10m plus add-ons, with Kevin Zeroli also joining Monza on loan.

Marseille announce Bennacer transfer