Marseille still have doubts about what they are going to do with Ismael Bennacer and his option to buy, a report claims.
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Bennacer suffered a major muscle injury which kept him out until the new year, and then he departed the club right at the end of the most recent transfer window. Warren Bondo came in to replace him, signing on a permanent deal from Monza.
According to Luca Bendoni of the Di Marzio network, Marseille are holding ‘internal talks’ regarding the option that they have to buy Bennacer permanently from Marseille, which they would have to pay €12m to enforce.
There is ‘no decision yet’ and this is partly because there is ‘no urge to sign a midfielder’ at present, in the eyes of Roberto De Zerbi. Moreover, Bennacer’s ‘weighty salary’ is another factor to consider, given his past with injuries.
As a reminder, Bennacer spoke about Marseille’s ‘philosophy’ as the reason for wanting to move there, clearly implying that De Zerbi – who will remain the head coach after they finished second – was a big factor.
He is believed to have demanded a transfer on deadline day which irritated the management, as per reports, so him returning could create an awkward situation.