Ismael Bennacer, the 27-year-old midfielder of AC Milan and the Algerian national team, is the new player of GNK Dinamo Zagreb and joins on a one-year loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. Besides playing as a classic central midfielder, Bennacer is a specialist in the defensive midfield role, where he uses his intelligence, ball control, and excellent game vision to link defense and attack and disrupt opponents’ play. He can also take on the role of a “regista” (deep-lying playmaker), creating overloads in attack buildup and effectively dictating the tempo of the game.
The agreement between Dinamo and AC Milan was reached practically in the last hours of the transfer window, and the transfer caused huge interest and numerous media reactions across the region. The Zagreb club confirmed that Bennacer will come immediately to Zagreb to undergo medical examinations before officially signing the contract, which further raised the excitement in domestic football.
Bennacer has played 178 matches for Milan, scoring eight goals, and was a key player in the 2021/22 season when the Rossoneri won the Italian league title after more than a decade, and the following season he contributed to Milan’s progress to the Champions League semifinals.
In the first half of 2025, Bennacer played on loan at Marseille, making 12 appearances and providing two assists in the second part of the French league.
He is a player with rich international experience: he has participated in the Champions League, Serie A, and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 with Algeria, where he was named the tournament’s best player.
His market value is estimated at 15 million euros, with the note that he was Milan’s third-highest paid player, and Dinamo will not cover his full salary, reflecting the complexity and importance of this transfer.
Although a huge reinforcement, Bennacer will not be able to play in the group stage of European competitions for Dinamo in the first half of the season, as the club could not register him on the UEFA list before the deadline. If Dinamo advances to the knockout stage, there is a possibility that he will be registered and able to play in European matches then. Also, due to the Africa Cup of Nations, Bennacer might miss some matches in December and January if called up by his national team.
Dinamo views Bennacer’s arrival as a strong message of the club’s European ambitions and determination to win more domestic trophies. Bringing such a high-profile player to Croatia is rarely seen in the recent history of the league.
