AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez’s move to Atletico Madrid is now reportedly at risk of collapsing after the two clubs failed to reach an agreement.
The 27-year-old has established himself as a fundamental figure for us since arriving in 2019, having gone on to make 262 appearances for the Rossoneri while contributing 34 goals and 45 assists to go with his defensive work.
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However, having now entered the final 12 months of his contract, Hernandez has been heavily linked with an exit this summer, especially after a poor season for him on an individual level last year, as well as for the entire team with both Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao being replaced.
Milan are now rebuilding with Massimiliano Allegri back at the helm and it appears as though Hernandez won’t be part of his plans moving forward, but the club are seemingly finding it difficult to agree terms with an interested party to seal a departure.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Atleti increased their offer for the French international to €20m after seeing a €15m bid rejected, and it was subsequently suggested that the two clubs were getting closer to reaching an agreement to sign off on a transfer, with Hernandez said to have already approved the move.
It sounded as though it was merely a matter of time before a deal was finalised, but Di Marzio has since reported that no agreement was reached between the two clubs and Atleti are now potentially set to pull out of talks.
It certainly seemed as though Milan would be in the transfer market for a new left-back this summer, and it will be a major void to fill for any new signing given what Hernandez has contributed in his time with the club.
As noted above though, there was a dip in his form last season that raised question marks over his future as he fell well short of the standard expected of him, and combined with his contract situation, it feels as though it’s the right time for the two parties to go their separate ways, provided that we can bring in a replacement that is capable of being equally as influential in that role.
Further, it will be an important sale not only in terms of avoiding losing Hernandez for free next year and bringing in a sizeable transfer fee to reinvest back in the squad, but it frees up another position for Allegri to bring his preferred option in as he looks to build and mould the squad into his own to implement his ideas and style of play.
With some significant outgoings being confirmed already and others on the verge of being completed, this is shaping up to be a major summer for Milan. Time will tell if it will include a sale of Hernandez, or if he’ll potentially now run down his contract and leave on a free next summer.
