Juventus Linked to Two Former Milan Centerpieces

Joao Cancelo might not be the only familiar face returning to Europe from Saudi Arabia in a relatively short amount of time, as Juventus have laid eyes on Theo Hernandez and Franck Kessié, who are mulling heading back too.

The pursuit is easier in the second case, Sky reports. The contract of the Ivorian midfielder expires in June, and he hasn’t engaged in the renewal talks with Al-Ahli at this stage. He has totaled 96 appearances, scoring 21 times and providing 11 assists, during his 2 and a half campaigns in the Middle East.

Kessié has been attached to Juventus in previous windows too, but always stayed put, while Theo Hernandez has reportedly not settled in too well at Al-Hilal and is considering leaving, Mediaset informs.

A reunion with Milan is out of the question. The star has slammed their management for how they handled his exit in a recent interview. The Bianconeri have inquired ahead of the summer, but the defender would have to agree to a massive pay cut to join them, since he has a €20M salary in Saudi Arabia. Plus, he’s under contract until 2028. His team spent €25M to lure him.

Our Take on Juventus, Kessié, and Theo Hernandez

Their supposed interest was already exploited in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s case, who re-upped a couple of weeks later. It could easily be the case again with regard to the former. There might be something more to it for the Frenchman, instead. He wouldn’t be the one to jump ship so quickly, but it’d be a pretty drastic U-turn. They wouldn’t be the only ones vying for his services, nor the most deep-pocketed, if he indeed wanted out.