AC Milan star Ismael Bennacer makes shock transfer after rejecting Saudi Arabia and Turkey offers

Bennacer has completed a surprise season-long loan move to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb. The deal includes an option for Dinamo to make the transfer permanent next summer. According to a report from Calciomercato, the move was finalised after the Algerian international spent the summer rejecting offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Trabzonspor being the most recent suitor to be turned down. Dinamo Zagreb have officially confirmed the agreement.

The transfer provides an escape route for Bennacer, who has fallen to the fringes of the first-team project at Milan and has reportedly had a difficult relationship with the club for some time. This is his second loan move in 2025, following a five-month spell at Marseille earlier in the year where he failed to convince the Ligue 1 side to exercise their €13 million (£11m/$15m) purchase option. The move to Croatia is seen as an opportunity for the midfielder to relaunch his career.

The move to Zagreb reunites Bennacer with club president Zvonimir Boban. Boban, alongside Paolo Maldini, was the AC Milan director who was instrumental in originally signing the Algerian midfielder from Empoli back in 2019.

Bennacer will now travel to Zagreb to undergo a medical before officially signing his contract. His primary objective will be to secure regular playing time and rediscover his form in both the Croatian top flight and Dinamo's European campaign. For AC Milan, the loan provides a temporary solution for a player not in their plans. They will monitor his progress before a final decision on his long-term future is made next summer, with the midfielder still under contract at the San Siro until June 2027.