Arsenal rejected chance to re-sign £30m-rated star for bargain fee

Arsenal reportedly rejected the chance to re-sign a former midfielder for what would have been a bargain price.

The market value of midfielder Ismael Bennacer, who made one League Cup appearance for the Gunners in 2015, has potentially doubled in comparison to the fee AC Milan paid to sign him last summer, a report claims.

The Algeria international joined Milan from fellow Serie A side Empoli for a fee of €16million and arrived on the back of an excellent African Cup of Nations campaign, during which he won the competition and was named Player of the Tournament for his outstanding performances.

Despite having alternated midfield positions with Lucas Biglia at Milan to begin with, the 22-year-old is now one of the first names on the team sheet under head coach Stefano Pioli.

According La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting on Thursday – as cited by MilanNews – that the value of the former Arsenal man has skyrocketed since he joined the Diavolo.

The paper claims that his market value has almost doubled compared to Milan’s €16m outlay, stating that he is now worth more than €30m.

It was even revealed last week that the Gunners rejected the chance to match the Rossoneri’s bid and sign the young midfielder for what is looking more and more like a bargain price.