‘Theo was close to Atletico Madrid’ – the background from last summer

Theo Hernandez was the subject of concrete interest from Atletico Madrid last summer and they made a sizeable offer for him, according to one journalist.

In an interview given to Calciomercato.it (via Radio Rossonera), the journalist Monica Colombo – of Corriere della Sera – spoke about a transfer negotiation that could have led Theo Hernandez to leave Milan in the summer.

She claims that the French full-back was close to leaving Milan and it was Atletico Madrid who pushed to secure the Frenchman’s performances, a team that he played in the academy of.

“In the last interview, Furlani shielded Rafa Leao, who doesn’t seem to me to have the desire or intention to seek glory elsewhere,” she said.

“With the Frenchman [Maignan] there is a renewal discussion that is not very simple, especially with regards to the goalkeeper, who is probably looking for the last big contract of his career, being at the height of his competitive potential and wants to derive the greatest economic benefit from it.

We will need to understand how much Milan intends to satisfy the right ambitions of a goalkeeper who is among the top three in Europe. He rightly demands a salary that is not less than that of Leao.

“Last year Theo was close to Atletico Madrid: the Spanish side were the ones who offered the most important fee for the player.

“I believe that Furlani is sincere when he says that he cannot reassure anyone that all the big names will remain. Faced with an indispensable offer, Milan would sit around a table and listen. So I can’t tell you for sure that Theo and Maignan will both stay.”

Recent reports have suggested that Theo has become a primary target for Bayern Munich who are seemingly ready to test Milan’s resolve in the event that they lose Alphonso Davies to Real Madrid.

As we highlighted in a recent analysis of his situation, the Milan management for their part do not intend to give any discounts and will not ask for less than €100m for Theo, who they consider to be among the best if not the best player in his role.