After saying no to Al-Hilal, Theo Hernandez seemed to be one step away from Atletico Madrid in recent days, but things have stalled.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recalls how Milan and Al-Hilal had reached an agreement over a €30m+ deal for Theo, but the player himself decided he did not want to go to Saudi Arabia.
At a certain point Atletico interrupted the dialogue with the Rossoneri, but when the white smoke seemed very close it did not arrive. Yesterday, Manuel Garcia Quilon – the agent of the full-back – re-established contact with Los Colchoneros to try to reach an agreement.
The risk of being in the stands
Theo is now in a rather uncomfortable position at the Rossoneri because, unlike Mike Maignan who will remain a starter even though his contract expires in 2026, he is not part of Milan’s project.
The management hope to soon receive news from Madrid or from the defender’s agent, who is currently only considering the path that leads to Atletico.
Officially the deal fell through because the two clubs could not reach an economic agreement, but it seems that fans are behind the Spaniards’ change of heart, as they do not want Theo back due to his move to Real Madrid in 2017.
Without Atleti relaunching, the risk is that of heading towards an arm wrestling until the end of the summer window. Milan could decide not to use him in the summer friendlies, so as to make the player understand that he is not really part of the plans at all.
Staying at all costs, sitting on the bench or in the stands in the season leading up to the World Cup, would absolutely not be convenient for the Frenchman. Milan, for their part, instead wants to avoid losing him for free in a year, so a sale makes sense for everyone.
