Al-Banna out of Milan

The Italian club AC Milan officially announced on Friday the mutual termination of the contract with Algerian international midfielder Ismaël Bennacer, amid reports suggesting he is heading to the Qatar Stars League to join Al-Gharafa.

In a brief statement, the Lombardy-based club confirmed it had reached a mutual agreement to end the player’s contract, stating, “AC Milan confirms the mutual termination of Ismaël Bennacer’s contract. The club wishes him all the best in his future.”

The 28-year-old joined Milan seven years ago, arriving from local rivals Empoli for a fee of 16 million euros in the summer of 2019.

He made 178 official appearances for the “Rossoneri,” including 137 in Serie A, and was a key figure in the team’s midfield when they won the Serie A title under coach Stefano Pioli in the 2021-2022 season (he played in 31 matches that campaign).

However, a serious knee injury sustained at the end of the 2022-2023 season marked the beginning of the end of his tenure at the San Siro stadium.

He returned to action in December 2023 and went on to play 20 Serie A matches during the 2023-2024 season, most of them as a substitute.

He was then allowed to leave on loan to French club Marseille in the middle of the 2024-2025 season, before joining Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb on loan during the 2025-2026 season.