Man Utd make contact with ‘complete midfielder’ ahead of January, he could change their season

Manchester United have made contact with AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer ahead of a possible transfer, according to reports.

The Red Devils have drastically improved since their shock early season defeats to Brighton and Brentford.

Erik ten Hag’s side currently sit in fifth place, just three points from Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League spot.

However, with the acrimonious departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and the precarious contract situation of first-choice right-back Diego Dalot, the Red Devils will likely dip into the market in January.

Meanwhile, summer signings Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have impressed in midfield, however, Man Utd fans will likely be looking for upgrades for their much-maligned understudies, Fred and Scott McTominay.

In turn, Man Utd have been linked with Algeria international Bennacer.

Bennacer to Man Utd

According to reports in Italy, Man Utd have made contact with AC Milan over a move for midfielder Ismael Bennacer.

The former Arsenal youngster has less than two years left to run on his current deal, and the Scudetto winner has been strongly linked with a move away from Serie A. Indeed, Stefano Pioli's side may be forced to sell if he does not commit himself to a new deal.

Calciomercato claims that Man United have made contact with Bennacer's agent Enzo Raiola.

Moreover, Arsenal have been credited with an interest in their former player, while Liverpool have also been linked with a move as Jurgen Klopp continues to look for midfield reinforcements.

The report also claims that Chelsea are interested too, with the Blues also attempting to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao away from San Siro.

Bennacer spent two years at Hale End between 2015 and 2017 but only made one senior appearance for the Gunners in a League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Algerian left Arsenal for Empoli in the 2017-18 season, before moving to Milan two years later.

Bennacer has been described as a “complete midfielder” by his manager, Pioli and was a driving force in Milan's run to the Serie A title last season.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Transfers

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.