Genoa are in talks with Empoli over the signing of former Gunner Ismael Bennacer, which opens up a couple of possibilities for Arsenal to benefit.

The reliable Di Marzio report that Genoa are close to agreeing on a deal to bring Empoli manager Aurelio Andreazzoli to the club, and they’re already in talks with Bennacer for him to follow his manager across the country.

This is relevant to Arsenal because the Gunners have a couple of clauses in Bennacer’s contract relating to this kind of situation.

Firstly, Arsenal have a matching clause, which means that if Genoa agree a fee with Empoli, Arsenal can match that fee and sign Bennacer back for themselves instead.

Secondly, if Arsenal turn down their option to buy, they’ll receive 30% of the transfer fee through a sell-on clause instead.

As it stands, there’s no word on the transfer fee being discussed between Empoli and Genoa, but when they finally agree one Arsenal will have the chance to hijack the deal or make a quick profit.

Either way, that would be good news, since Bennacer has had a very strong season in Serie A. He could make a good addition to Arsenal’s midfield if that’s the way they want to go, or add some extra funds to the transfer budget for someone else if not.