AC Milan have reportedly received a new offer for Theo Hernandez, while interest has been expressed in Samuel Chukwueze.
After appointing Igli Tare as our new sporting director and with Massimiliano Allegri replacing Sergio Conceicao as coach, the next big issue to address for the club this summer was rebuilding the squad after our woeful season last year.
READ MORE: Milan ace’s reluctance to make specific move could now scupper exit deal
While many expected big changes, few would perhaps have anticipated the potential scale of this rebuild, as speculation is rife in linking countless Milan players with departures this summer.
The Rossoneri have to be careful in the coming weeks that this doesn’t turn into a chaotic transfer window which destabilises us further, as having to bring in multiple replacements in one window will mean time is needed for the new-look side to gel and adapt to Allegri’s demands, and time is a luxury that we might not have much of in our bid to get back to the top.
Nevertheless, changes are certainly needed, and the rumours linking our players with exits are seemingly showing no signs of slowing down.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Atletico Madrid have now made a €15m offer for Hernandez, but that is expected to be rejected given it falls short of our valuation of the French international.
That said, the 27-year-old’s current contract expires in 12 months time, and so that will weaken our position when it comes to demanding more for him, particularly as he has rebuffed a potential move to Al Hilal as per Di Marzio, with the Saudi club undoubtedly willing to offer significantly more.
Time will tell how successful negotiations prove to be between Milan and Atleti, but it seems fair to suggest that Hernandez’s future is likely to lie elsewhere ahead of next season with no new deal in sight to extend his time with us.
Meanwhile, the report above also adds that Real Betis have made an inquiry for Chukwueze, and given the 26-year-old contributed just five goals and three assists in 36 appearances across all competitions last season, a strong case can surely be made in favour of offloading him this summer, and reinvesting in a player capable of being a more prominent and consistent threat in the final third.
There’s no suggestion that talks are at an advanced stage at this point and so it remains to be seen if anything comes of the inquiry, but with Milan struggling with mediocrity across the board over the past year, this is the type of transfer that needs to be followed through, provided we can successfully identify and acquire better talent for the long-term future.
As noted above though, Milan must have replacements in mind before approving all of these exits, and even then, we’ve seen in our recent history how difficult it can be in trying to rebuild a squad in one summer with a high number of new signings to fill the voids left by others.
