CM: Milan confident of closing Bennacer’s renewal before 2023 but €50m clause may remain

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan might have to settle for keeping the release clause in Ismael Bennacer’s contract to convince him to renew, a report claims.

Calciomercato.com report that Bennacer and Milan are getting closer to an agreement that will see the midfielder extend his current contract expiring in 2024. There is already an agreement on the duration which will be another three years, until 2027, while the Algeria international has always expressed his willingness to stay with the Rossoneri and continue an adventure that made him grow as a man and as a footballer.

This desire was also reiterated in the recent talks held with Maldini and Massara because, for Bennacer, Milan comes first compared to the many rumours of interest that are arriving from the Premier League.

Two days ago the first summit at Casa Milan home was staged between Bennacer’s new agent, Enzo Raiola, and the Rossoneri management. There is a distance of around €500,000 (net per year) between the offer and the demand, which can be bridged through bonuses.

This is why Maldini and Massara’s optimism is now decidedly high, so much so that the goal is to close by the end of the year. Regarding the release clause, the €50m clause already present in the current contract should remain unchanged even if Maldini hopes to convince the player and his entourage to increase the figure.

Tags AC Milan Ismaël Bennacer

15 Comments

  1. If the 50m didn’t change then the extension is almost non-factor… Premier Leagues clubs and those big teams like duo Madrid, Barca, PSG and Munich will easily buy him.

    1. it should be 10-20Milions higher. Better 50Mio than loosing for free 😉 if he doesnt renew we have to sell him this summer for 30-40Mio

  2. Big missed opportunity with Enzo Fernandez for only 10 mill. But still there are many top players in midfield that can be bought for 50 mill or on free transfer. Release clause should be higher 10-20 mill cause Bennacer will get bigger salary.

  3. What’s in it for Milan if the release clause still the same? Doesn’t make sense. Yes, we can avoid letting him for free. But then again, it’s the player and the agent who hold the gun.

  4. If the player actually demands to have his salary doubled while keeping the 50 mil buyout clause then i seriously would consider offloading him while we can as it would seem to me that his heart isnt in it for the long run and it could end up as a constant black cloud over our heads in regard of planing.
    We shouldnt forget either that by renewing the player we will have to pay the player and his agent a sign-on fee which again would minize the current profit we could attain by selling him now compared to a renewal under such criterias.

    In the end i doubt this is the demands of the player if he has any reason. If there is an actual demand of having a buyout clause inserted in the contract then it should be at the very minimum 75 mil as that would give us some more safety as i see it.

    1. The release clause sum has to be agreed upon by the club and the player. I don’t think it’s a big deal that he asked for a release clause. It protects the player and the club.
      If you are concerned that Bennacer might wanna leave, release clause or not, you can’t keep a player that doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Plus, he is putting pressure on Milan to be an ambitious club so he can compete at the highest stage and to want to continue playing for them.
      On the other hand, if he asks to leave, Milan can always refer the interested club to his release clause. 50 mil isn’t chump change.

      1. The question isnt the release clause as such but the size of it to activate it, I see no point in entertaining his wishes if he infact wants to keep a 50 mil release clause while getting a hefty salary increase.
        Obviosuly i want him to stay but not if his demands are as such then i would make him available on the market and put my bet on someone else.

        1. I understand, but as long the player is happy at Milan and Milan competes for titles, the release clause number doesn’t matter. Another team can’t just come and pay the release clause and take your player unless the player wants to leave.
          First you re sign them, than you build a project where they won’t think about leaving you.
          And if, as you said, decide to sell him now without extending him, you aren’t getting nowhere near 50 for him. Release clause means nothing when you are the one trying to sell the player. You losing leverage

          1. I disagree contracts are as much to protect the clubs as the players as they make heavy investments and invest time on said players that otherwise could be spend on other players./investments I do agree though that if a player wants to leave it at least wouldnt make much sense keeping a disgruntled player but neither would i base the clubs future on a player that demands a low set release clause, simple as that.
            As i also said further up there is other factors in renewing a player that should be considered, for example that the club actually also will have to pay sign-on fees to both the player and the agent will also need to be paid his comision.
            To add to it further im pretty confident that we will have to pay a % of a potential sale that exceeds the price we paid initally back to empoli. If i remember correctly then that fee is around 20 %. So assuming we do renew his contract and pays him roughly the double of what he earns + we have to pay a few mil for bennacer signing + agents comision + % to empoli then that doesnt leave silt to us and in that sense i would rather get it done now that keeping a player completely disregarding the clubs welfare.
            Anyways as i also said further up i doubt this is his demands and actually do hope we sort this out in the best possible way and that is that he renew but not only in his own favour. Pretty sure we could fairly easy sell him at 50 mil currently as his contract lasts untill 2024.

        2. You are overthinking this.
          Get him signed. He deserves the money he is asking, and when it comes to the release clause, being only at 50 mil, will cross that bridge when/if we come to it.
          Like I said, you might not even get 30 for him if you try to sell him today. And then, who are you going to replace him with. We still haven’t even replaced Kessie

          1. i’ll guess we will just have to disagree on this matter but thats fine with me. In regard of his salary i have no issues with us paying him 4-4.5 mil a year but im also of the view that every player can be replaced if necessary as theres new talents or players on the verge of their brealkthrough around the world on a constant basis that havent even been on our radar yet.

  5. It’s a no brainer for me, if he is accepting the massive increase in wages he should accept an increase in the release clause if he still wants it in the contract. Milan have to be able to protect their investment in these players and if offers are being made over 80m for players like him then the release clause should be in this ball park, 50m is way too low now, he’s not playing for empoli anymore.

  6. If we can increase the clause by at least 15M then it’s a good deal imo.
    If players like Tschoumeni can go for huge prices, Camavinga etc, why not Isma?
    He certainly doesn’t lack any quality, in fact I’d say he’s even better than the aforementioned duo… I’m just using them as an example.
    Isma isn’t an old player, has more ability, is a proven champion, so let’s try increasing that clause by as much as possible.

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