French football expert Jonathan Johnson has weighed in on the recent stories about AC Milan and France left-back Theo Hernandez potentially being a transfer target for Bayern Munich this summer.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Johnson explained that he could see there being interest in Hernandez this summer, especially if Milan don’t end the season strongly and end up having to sell players.
Bayern, meanwhile, could be likely to be in the market for a new left-back, with Hernandez making sense as someone they could prioritise as his fine form in Serie A shows he could be an ideal replacement for Real Madrid target Alphonso Davies.
Davies is currently heading towards the final year of his Bayern contract, and it seems Johnson expects the Madrid move to happen, which could then pave way for the Bundesliga giants to pursue Hernandez, while others might also be interested in the 26-year-old.
Hernandez transfer looks like one to watch for this summer
“Theo Hernandez has been linked with Bayern Munich as a potential replacement for Alphonso Davies, and obviously there’s a sparsity of real quality full-backs in world football these days, so when you have someone of the calibre of Hernandez, then he’s going to be linked with the likes of Bayern,” Johnson said.
“It does seem like Davies is likely to go to Real Madrid, and in terms of Hernandez there’s a number of European clubs who’ve been interested in him, though I think Bayern could be a good fit as they’ve historically had success with French signings. So it wouldn’t be a step down from AC Milan, while his brother Lucas Hernandez has played there as well, so he’d be able to find out everything he needs to know about what it’s like to play there.
“One important factor will be whoever becomes Bayern’s next head coach, as we know Thomas Tuchel will be leaving his position at the end of the season. Xabi Alonso is a name high up on their list after impressing at Bayer Leverkusen, but we’ll have to see who ends up being the official choice and how Hernandez would fit in stylistically with that appointment. There is currently no clarity on who will be leading Bayern after Tuchel so I think those questions will need to be answered for this move to make sense.
“There’s been a bit of speculation as well about Milan’s future and potentially needing to cash in on players depending on where they finish in Serie A. So I do think Hernandez is someone who will have a fair bit of interest in him this summer, and possibly it’s a move that could materialise depending on if Davies leaves Bayern and who is chosen as the club’s next manager.”