Fernandinho could be on his way out of Manchester City when the season comes to a close as he’s no longer a regular in the starting eleven, is out of contract this summer and the Sky Blues have been linked with replacements.
City have identified Denis Zakaria, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot and Douglas Luiz as potential successors for the 35-year-old, but Competition (h/t Sport Witness) say Ismael Bennacer is still on their radar.
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The 23-year-old joined AC Milan on a five-year deal from Empoli in 2019 and has gone on to make 55 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and supplying five assists (Transfermarkt).
Bennacer has amassed only 729 minutes of Serie A football from a possible 2340 minutes this season, however, as he’s spent the majority of the campaign sidelined with various injuries.
Despite the lack of playing time, the Algerian international has made more tackles (23) than Ruben Dias (21) and Fernandinho (16), so he might be a good addition to the engine room.
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo called Bennacer “one of the best midfielders…in the Italian landscape” last year and Pep Guardiola is expected to sign a replacement for Fernandinho should he leave in the coming months, but it remains to be seen if it’s Milan’s injury-laden midfielder.