AC Milan star Theo Hernandez is reportedly attracting interest from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Since signing from Real Madrid in the summer of 2019, Theo Hernandez, 23, has been one of AC Milan’s best players. The French left-back had a solid 2020/21 Serie A campaign, registering seven goals and six assists in 33 assists as AC Milan finished second and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in more than five years.
According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Manchester City are interested in signing Theo Hernandez, whose contract at San Siro expires in the summer of 2024.
The Sky Blues smashed their transfer record in the recently concluded summer transfer window, adding Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for an eye-watering £100 million.
📰 @SunMartinB (via @SempreMilanCom): Manchester City is monitoring the situation of Theo Hernandez 🇫🇷, the player is valued at €80M, the player's contract expires in 2024 but the player's salary is €1.5M a salary increase would surely be considered. pic.twitter.com/7d7dLqSgTT
— Milan Posts (@MilanPosts) September 8, 2021
It could be argued that the Manchester City boss failed to strengthen the weakest area of his team, however. Having had problems at left-back over the last couple of seasons and with Benjamin Mendy suspended by the club amid rape, sexual assault charges last month, Pep Guardiola is one short in that position.
Theo Hernandez to Manchester City – The ideal option for Guardiola?
Manchester City have not signed a new left-back since Benjamin Mendy’s arrival from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017. The club have overlooked the left-back position despite Mendy’s failure to live up to the lofty expectations majorly due to a series of injuries and chronic lack of consistency.
As he is now suspended, Guardiola has two left-back options in Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Both Cancelo and Zinchenko have performed admirably at left-back but it is not their natural position. To put things into perspective, Manchester City are often seen to lack a genuine and reliable left-back and Guardiola acquiring AC Milan star Theo Hernandez’s signature could go a long way in ameliorating a problematic area.
Hernandez, regarded as one of Serie A’s most exciting full-back talents, is a rampaging, dynamic player with bags of energy, pace and athleticism. The Frenchman is a rock-solid figure in the rear-guard and likes to bomb up and down the wing, contributing heavily in the attacking areas on the pitch.
The ex-Real Madrid man possesses the ability to glide past opposition players and dribble his way out of tight areas on the pitch before putting in inviting crosses in the box or having a pop from long-range at goal. He is comfortable on the ball, defensively strong and excellent going forward, thus, ticking all the boxes of a modern-day fullback.
At Manchester City, Hernandez can make the left-back position his own for the best part of the decade, with Zinchenko providing him with cover and competition. Having proven himself as an attacking left-back with AC Milan, the former France under-20 international is at the right age to test himself in the Premier League and a move to City could do wonders for him.