Arsenal could now pay £43m to re-sign ‘word-class’ midfielder they previously sold for £900k

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Arsenal are now said to be keen on re-signing a midfielder who left the club for a minimal fee back in 2017 having failed to make the academy jump.

Although he’ll be entirely focused on Sunday’s clash with Manchester City right now, Mikel Arteta will know it could be a very busy summer ahead.

It almost feels as if Arsenal will be coming to the end of a cycle so to speak, regardless of any trophies they do or don’t win in the closing months of the season.

It now seems possible that the likes of Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe could seek new clubs, players who were crucial to the project just a year ago.

Similarly, both Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah look likely to leave, a pair handed lucrative new deals not so long ago either.

But as Arsenal continue to progress, we will see this consistent refresh of their squad, in a similar vein to Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.

That being said, it seems as if Arsenal could now be keen to re-sign a midfielder that left the club before Mikel Arteta was appointed manager at the Emirates.

Arsenal interested in re-signing AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer

According to Calciomercato, Arsenal are showing interest in bringing Ismael Bennacer back to the club.

Although AC Milan consider Bennacer an important player, albeit that he’s suffered with various injuries of late, an offer close to £43m could tempt the club to sell.

The report points out that Milan could undergo a revamp of their own squad this summer, in wake of Oliver Giroud being set to leave the club for the MLS.

Of course, some Arsenal fans would be forgiven if they couldn’t quite recall Bennacer’s time with the club.

Now 26-years-old, the 46-cap Algeria international joined Arsenal as a youngster in 2015 during Arsene Wenger’s tenure.

How many games did Ismael Bennacer play for Arsenal?

Bennacer impressed in the club’s youth categories but only went on to make one senior appearance, playing 71 minutes in 4-0 EFL Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in 2015.

But given he’s now flourished into a ‘world-class’ player in Italy, a move could make sense for the club.

Bennacer, who left Arsenal for just £900k, predominantly thrives in a deeper midfield role, possessing a similar skill-set to Jorginho – perhaps a good replacement if he leaves in the off-season.

All that being said, there has been a recent update from a Sky Sports journalist regarding Arsenal’s plans this summer.