(Football news) AC Milan have announced that Ismael Bennacer is set to extend his contract with the club for a further three years. A statement on the club’s official website confirmed that Bennacer extended his contract until 30 June 2027, with the previous deadline having been set for June 2024. Bennacer previously arrived at Milan from Empoli in 2019 and has gone on to make 129 appearances, scoring four goals and establishing himself as the main man in the central midfield under Stefano Pioli.

The 25-year-old played a key part in the Scudetto-winning side last season as he formed a double pivot with either Sandro Tonali or Franck Kessie, and this year he has established a formidable pairing with the Italian international given the Ivorian’s exit. According to stats this season it shows just how important Bennacer is to Milan as they revealed that this season, the Algerian has the most games played (24, level with Kalulu), touches (1507), tackles (66), recoveries (191) and duels won (125) in the Milan squad.

Bennacer nowadays is the very first name on manager Stefano Piolo’s team sheet. Spurs were interested in signing the Algerian as they thought that he would have been a neat addition. The former Arsenal youth academy product just turned 25 and you can say he is in the prime of his career with a long road to improvement still ahead of him. He is a central midfielder with a focus on the defensive side of things  which is ideal for Pioli’s system. Hence, this transfer seemed infeasible due to several factors for Tottenham, especially now that he has signed a contract extension.

Bennacer gave an interview to Milan TV immediately after renewing his contract and an excerpt of it was released tonight ahead of the full version tomorrow, with the comments relayed by MilanNews. “I am very proud to continue with Milan. I am part of this family and I want to give even more for the team, the fans and the club. We are very different from when I arrived three years ago. The great path we have built and are still building is part of my goals: I hope to do even better for the team and individually,” he said.

“From the first home game to today, I always feel like playing in front of our fans: they give us more and more at every match, I’m very happy because I feel there is something special between me and them.”

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