AC Milan reportedly face an important decision on Theo Hernandez’s future this summer, as Al Hilal have expressed an interest in the defender.
The 27-year-old has been a fundamental presence in the side since joining us from Real Madrid in 2019, as he’s gone on to make 262 appearances for the club, scoring 34 goals and providing 45 assists to go with his defensive work.
READ MORE: Talks ongoing as Milan look to bolster Allegri’s midfield options
With his peak years still ahead of him, there is a strong argument in favour of keeping him at Milan and making him an important part of Massimiliano Allegri’s plans moving forward, after his appointment as our new coach was confirmed on Friday.
However, with Hernandez entering the final 12 months of his current contract and no extension seemingly close to being agreed, doubts have emerged over his future at Milan, and now Fabrizio Romano reports, via Matteo Moretto, Al Hilal are in direct contact with the Rossoneri over a potential deal for the French international.
It’s stressed that no agreement exists yet between the clubs or with the player on personal terms, and so there appears to be a long way to go before a transfer becomes a realistic outcome.
That said, should the Saudi club be prepared to put a significant offer on the table, it could be too good a deal for Milan to turn down given the season Hernandez has just had and with his contract situation in mind.
Naturally, the expectation is that Allegri will want to keep the most talented players at his disposal and build around them to ensure that we’re back to being competitive next season, but sacrifices may well be needed given we failed to qualify for any form of European football.
With interest being shown in other key figures, it’s going to be a fascinating process to see how new sporting director Igli Tare and Allegri work together to ensure that the squad that starts the new season is better than the one that finished the last, and selling Hernandez certainly weakens us.
However, given he underperformed and was frustratingly inconsistent last season coupled with the possibility that a contract extension might not be agreed thus opening up the risk of losing him for nothing, cashing in on the Frenchman now could be the best option, provided that we’re able to identify and acquire a suitable replacement to fill that major void, should he opt to start a new challenge elsewhere.
