Theo Hernandez has not been out of the headlines for the past few days since the defeat against Fiorentina and his red card, but now all the talk is regarding a renewal that risks descending into a saga.
As Calciomercato.com recall, the hope was that there would be some concrete movement during the summer regarding the extension of Theo’s contract, because it expires at the end of next season and previous cases have shown how important it is to do things in a timely manner.
They highlight that there have been some mixed messages in terms of the public comments made over the past few months, and the first to speak was Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a press conference during the European Championship.
“Theo is a Milan player. We are lucky, we have three players in the semi-finals of the European Championship. Then we know that he is very happy here, that the family is fine, with the new coach he will have much more space to play the way he likes best. It will go very well, I am not worried,” he said.
This was the period in which – as agent Manuel Garcia Quilon confirmed last night – the club asked the agent if the player was happy to stay in Milan. Zlatan added: “Maignan, Theo and Leao are staying. They have a contract with us, they are happy. We do not have to sell.”
Then it was Theo’s turn to answer those comments from the France training camp, all while rumours about Real Madrid and Bayern Munich interest were swirling: “I’m focused on the European Championship. Whether I’ll stay at Milan or not, we’ll see later. A possible return to Spain? I’m not thinking about it yet.”
That generated a lot of media attention because it seems Theo was telling Ibrahimovic not to assume anything. CEO Giorgio Furlani tried to calm the waters during the USA tour, stating: “As a fan I can tell you that you don’t have to worry about Maignan and Theo.”
Months have passed without any real developments and not even any dialogue – at least as per Quilon’s version of events – but Ibrahimovic said otherwise during the presentation of Youssouf Fofana.
“We’re talking. Everything is under control, everything is ok. We know what we want from them and they know what they want from us. Everything is resolved in a minute or with a little more time, but everything is ok,” he said.
The 27-year-old stayed at Milan beyond the deadline, the season began, the incidents on the pitch began to add up, but after the victory against Lecce he was asked about his contract situation. “I’m very happy here, the fans love me and the team loves me and that’s the most important thing,” he said.
We find ourselves at the present day, after all the conflicting statements since the start of the summer. Theo is happy at Milan, but it seems less and less likely that he will be able to obtain a contract renewal by the end of the year, and Quillon’s interview with Telelombardia bears witness to this.
The player’s agent speaks of ‘no negotiations’ and ‘silence for 4 months’, but above all he didn’t close the door to an exit: “If he doesn’t renew by the end of the year, I don’t know what will happen, but if he renews, he’ll stay.”
It feels like a lot of diplomacy will be needed to mend a relationship that only four months ago could and should have been resolved.
