Journalist: Juventus open talks with former Milan hero who wants Serie A return | OneFootball

Juventus have allegedly made important steps in their quest to bring Theo Hernandez back to Italian football.

The Frenchman is a youth product of Atletico Madrid, who later joined their rivals, Real Madrid, but wasn’t given the opportunity to prove his worth at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Merengues then sold him to Milan in 2019, and he went on to cement himself as one of the finest left-backs in Europe.

Juventus make contact with Theo Hernandez?

Hernandez left the Rossoneri last summer, joining Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal. The Frenchman swiftly established himself as a key player at Simone Inzaghi’s court, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in his 19 outings across all competitions.

However, the wing-back and his family are hellbent on returning to Italy as soon as possible, at least according to Carlo Pellegatti.

The Italian journalist revealed on his YouTube channel that Juventus are ready to pounce on the situation and have already launched talks with the player’s entourage, citing sources from Riyadh.

While it’s not quite a done deal just yet, Pellegatti claims that the negotiations are at an advanced stage.

Can Juventus afford Hernandez?

The left-back’s €20 million yearly salary was initially considered a major hurdle, but the player’s desire to play at the top level once more should see him accept a major pay cut to push the deal through.

However, Hernandez has a contract with Al-Hilal valid until June 2028, so Juventus would also have to find an agreement with the Arabian giants.

While this news came out of the blue, it remains to be seen if other sources will be able to confirm it.

Theo Hernandez during his time at Milan (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Juve’s main left-back option remains Andrea Cambiaso, but he’s been enduring an underwhelming campaign, at least by his own standards.

Luciano Spalletti’s alternatives for the role are Juan Cabal and Filip Kostic, with the latter running on an expiring contract.