Report: AC Milan, Real Madrid Agree to Loan, Eventual Buy for Theo Hernandez
AC Milan have agreed to a deal with Real Madrid for Theo Hernandez, which will see the defender arrive on loan with a €20m obligation-to-buy clause.
The 21-year-old was once regarded as a better prospect than his brother Lucas, but their careers have taken different trajectories ever since Theo opted to join Los Blancos from neighborhood rivals Atletico two years ago.
Farmed out on loan to Real Sociedad last season, Hernandez is now poised to leave Real on a permanent basis - with leading Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia) reporting that AC Milan have beaten Bayer Leverkusen in the race to sign him.
Hernandez will spend his first season at San Siro technically on loan, but the deal will become permanent for a fee of €20m next year - with a four-year deal worth €1.8m per season, a reported 20% pay cut, to be penned after talks with Milan's new sporting director Paolo Maldini.
A permanent departure from Real Madrid has arisen after Zinedine Zidane's men forked out over £50m to sign Ferland Mendy from Lyon this summer, with the emerging Sergio Reguilón and Marcelo also standing in Hernandez's path to the first-team.
Things may not be any easier at Milan, as they have Ricardo Rodriguez, Ivan Strinic and Diego Laxalt on their books - but a permanent change of scenery may be exactly what Hernandez needs to fulfill his potential.
He performed adequately on loan at Sociedad last season, making 22 appearances in La Liga - though he often flattered to deceive in San Sebastian as La Real meandered to a steady, yet unspectacular ninth place finish.
His brother Lucas, meanwhile, has also departed Madrid this summer, for significantly more money - joining Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich in a deal worth a reported €80m.
