Theo Hernandez was simply outstanding during AC Milan’s win against Hellas Verona yesterday, and the club have clear ideas about his future and how much he is worth.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, Theo wakes up some days and seems to have the gift of unplayability. In Verona, it was clear from the first few minutes that it was one of those days.
The full-back was inspired, he looked confident and in the best physical shape. The sort of shape that means that in the first five metres it is difficult to stop him, in the first ten he is almost uncatchable, and if he gets past that then it is goodbye.
Theo was the best on the pitch, and not only because he scored the first goal, initiated the move which ended with Christian Pulisic hitting the bar and recovered the ball which led to Rafael Leao’s opportunity.
In 90 minutes he showed why he is one of the best left-backs in the world and one of the players to watch in view of the summer window. He also highlighted his weak point by getting a yellow card which means he misses the next game, but that’s another rather controversial story.
‘Give me 100’
The mercato takes centre stage because Milan have a clear plan: to renew Theo’s deal. The contract he is currently on expires in two years and three months, in June 2026, and we know how the transfer market works.
Players with only one year on their contracts are much more difficult to hang onto, so renewing two years before the deadline is an obligation. Milan will try because Theo is one of the three best players on the team.
The first phone calls with Theo’s agents have taken place and the discussions will soon intensify. At the same time, Milan know that the big teams in Europe follow Hernandez very closely and they have a figure in mind: €100m.
That is the figure that would bring the management to the negotiating table. However, the offer, if it arrives, will almost certainly be lower. The list of potential interested parties is not long: the top English clubs, two Spanish teams (or perhaps only one), PSG, Bayern. The end.
Bayern, in this group, are definitely the first team to watch out for. Their left back Alphonso Davies is possibly heading to Real Madrid and that is why they want Theo above all to replace him.
Contacts with Milan have not yet taken place – and this is normal, we are in mid-March – but something has moved in recent weeks, i.e. there have been some exploratory phone calls.
Theo’s will
The key will probably be figuring out what His brother Lucas played at Bayern Munich from 2019 to 2023 and so he knows almost everything about the environment.
Theo is very happy in Milan, he has a family in Italy and yesterday he must have experienced the match like a derby given Zoe Cristofoli, his partner, is from Verona. Will this be enough to stay? Impossible to know now.
Certainly, however, Stefano Pioli hopes to see the No.19 every day for a long time to come: “In terms of presence in the group, Theo has never been like this, not even in the year of the Scudetto. Maybe something happened to him.”
Theo has had many ups and downs in the current season but he changed when, in an emergency, he offered to Pioli to play as a central defender (against Frosinone at San Siro). Theo did very well next to Simon Kjaer and, returning to the flank, he rediscovered his old habits.
In 2024 he has scored three goals and provided eight assists (in all competitions), numbers that a winger would be happy with let alone a full-back. Speaking of those numbers, in this story there is a common thread that comes back, a thread that begins in Ibiza.
It is on the island that Paolo Maldini went to convince him and yesterday Theo reached 27 goals in Serie A with Milan and in the history of the Rossoneri there is only one defender who has gone further, reaching 29. His name is Paolo and his surname doesn’t even need to be written.
There are very few players in the world who play the way Theo plays. There is a long list of players we should aim to never sell but Theo should be in a separate list all by himself, titled Absolutely Irreplaceable.
Let’s see will management sell Theo or not, my G.
Theo is my absolutely favourite Player.
Just give him the Captain armband already
If he dont want to leave , just renew his contract same salary with leao