AC Milan have reportedly identified Club Brugge left-back Maxim De Cuyper as an ideal replacement if Theo Hernandez leaves.
The French international has been heavily linked with an exit this summer having entered the final 12 months of his contract with the Rossoneri, and a move to Atletico Madrid looked set to materialise until talks broke down on Thursday night.
READ MORE: Allegri keen to keep Milan man as interest builds in prising him away
It remains to be seen if negotiations will restart and a deal can still be reached with the Spanish side, but speculation is suggesting that Milan have already set their sights on a replacement if that void opens up in a key defensive position.
According to Calciomercato, Milan have made De Cuyper the favourite to be Hernandez’s successor, although it’s noted that his valuation is said to be between €25m and €30m, and so it remains to be seen if we’re willing to pay that much or if a compromise can be reached with the Belgian club.
Furthermore, the fee from Hernandez’s exit could prove critical to our pursuit too, as that could ultimately help fund our own signing to address the left-back position with a new long-term solution.
With competition touted with Roma said to be interested too, it could be a decisive period in our potential pursuit if we wish to stay ahead of our rivals and land an important signature.
De Cuyper, 24, is another product of the Club Brugge youth system that continues to churn out top talent, and he has now established himself as a key figure for the first-team having made 114 appearances, while contributing nine goals and 22 assists.
Further, he’s bagged three goals in 10 caps for Belgium, and so particularly with the importance of the attacking dynamic that Hernandez has given us for years, he could be an excellent solution to refresh things in that position and hopefully maintain an attacking threat, but help shore things up defensively too.
Naturally though, this touted pursuit hinges on the departure of Hernandez going through, and so until an agreement is reached which is in the best interests of all concerned, Milan will surely have to wait on De Cuyper, and hope that the likes of Roma or any other interested party don’t steal a march on us as we await for clarity on the position.
