‘Reached full agreement’: Romano claims reported Arsenal target will now extend his contract
Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with AC Milan’s Ismael Bennacer in recent weeks.
A report from CMW claimed that the Gunners were plotting a cash-plus-player deal for the Algeria international.
Meanwhile, Alfredo Pedulla reported that the Blues were big fans of Bennacer.
The Blues were being tipped to potentially offer €40million (£34million) for the former Arsenal talent in the New Year.
Algerie Football Media‘s Twitter account also linked Arsenal and Chelsea, alongside Liverpool.
However, both the Gunners and the Blues were always up against it, as Milan were being tipped to extend his contract.
Bennacer’s current deal runs until 2024, but the Rossoneri were seemingly doing well in negotiations.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has relayed information from Sky Sport Italia claiming Bennacer has agreed a new Milan deal.
The club has reached full agreement to extend the midfielder’s contract until June 2027, Romano wrote on Twitter.
In all fairness, it’s not surprising that Arsenal and Chelsea didn’t push particularly hard for Bennacer.
The Gunners have bigger priorities for the January window, namely attacking reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have only just signed Andrey Santos. So they’ve got their potential future star in midfield.
And with a reported £50million price tag, it was an unrealistic signing to pull off in January.
That said, Bennacer would’ve been a good signing for both Arsenal and Chelsea.
He is one of the most prolific tacklers in the Italian top-flight this season.
Meanwhile, few players have had more touches in the middle of the park, according to FBRef.
Arsenal and Chelsea will probably look for midfielders in the summer window when they have more time to properly plan.
