The transfer window hasn’t even opened yet, AC Milan’s summer has already gotten very interesting.
When Milan accepted the deal with UEFA to sit out the Europa League this year because of Financial Fair Play violations of the previous owners their goal for this season became very clear. They have nothing to play for this season except for a Champions League place for next year. Their agreement should also get UEFA off their backs as far as further FFP sanctions go, which means they have should have a little bit more wiggle room for their budget this summer. Let’s take a look at how they use that wiggle room this summer.
Theo Hernandez
My Theo Hernandez discussion will be brief because this seems like it could already be a done deal. I really like this move for AC Milan, especially if the rumored 20 million euro price tag is true. The move will make it necessary for Milan to sell either Diego Laxalt or Ricardo Rodriguez (probably Laxalt), which will likely cover a large portion of the Hernandez transfer fee. Bringing in Hernandez will make the playing time situation interesting if Milan holds on to Rodriguez. He was the clear starter last season and it’s unlikely that Hernandez will instantly supplant him, but at some point, he has to be given the chance to take over.
Hernandez looked good at Real Sociedad last season, but we haven’t really seen a big sample size of him as a starter. There is plenty of reason to believe that he could be a great acquisition for Milan as he has shown plenty of potential.
Being able to choose between him and Rodriguez will set Milan up pretty well at the left back position if he pans out. I’m not sure that he’ll be able to help them right away, but if the difference between his transfer fee and that of Laxalt ends up being less than 10 million euros then I don’t see how you could not be on board with this move based solely on what it could mean for Milan long-term.