OM managed the feat of signing Adrien Rabiot a few days ago. But, before betting on the French international, the Marseille club had thought about another quality midfielder. During the last hours of the transfer window, great efforts were made to bring him to the Vélodrome.
The player in question is Ismael Bennacer, a member of AC Milan. The Olympian officials sounded him out with the hope of signing him. However, the interested party did not consider this option. This is what his agent Enzo Raiola has just stated, in an interview with Tuttosport.
A blessing in disguise for OM
“What happened is quite simple. There were discussions with a few clubs, but he never questioned his desire to stay at Milan, said the representative of the Algerian international. The Rossoneri also wanted him to stay and it is always difficult to find another team in Europe. In Milan we feel good, it is an important club. It is not easy to leave AC Milan.
If Bennacer did not want to move from Milan, the Lombard club, for its part, was open to the idea of exfiltrating him. They considered this option to then bet on Adrien Rabiot, then free of any commitment. Their plan did not work. OM however got wind of the intentions of the Rossonerri. And that is when the Marseille board decided, in turn, to recruit the “Duke”. It was a good move for them since they achieved their goal, to the great dismay of the Milanese. The latter are the losers in the whole affair, since they also recorded the defection of Bennacer for several months due to an injury.
