Once thought to be the next big thing in Ligue 1, Yassine Benzia hasn’t lived up to the early hype that saw him get his debut at Lyon at the age of 17 during the 2011-12 season.
Still only aged 23, the attacking midfielder already has 119 top-tier appearances to his name, and while he didn’t enjoy the best season with Lille last year, the Algeria international is attracting a bit of interest from abroad.
Among those clubs happen to be Huddersfield, who, according to L’Equipe, recently got in touch to find out about Benzia’s contractual situation at Lille, which is believed to run until 2021.
Currently undergoing an inspection by the DNCG, who ensure clubs in France remain financially stable, the Ligue 1 side’s top-tier status, which they barely managed to maintain on the pitch, is in doubt.
Should their finances be deemed unsatisfactory, they could end up getting relegated to Ligue 2, but early articles on the situation, based on what Lille’s owner, Gerard Lopez, has said, appear to be somewhat reassuring.
Once their status is clear, sales will take place, at which point, Benzia could be on his merry way to either Huddersfield, should the Terriers put a bid in, or FK Krasnodar in Russia, the other interested side.
Why David Wagner is interested in the attacking midfielder is a bit of a head scratcher, as the 23-year-old’s performances haven’t been particularly impressive in recent times, but who are we to question the man who kept the club up in the Premier League against all odds?
