What’s the story?
Theo Hernandez is currently on loan with Deportivo Alaves’ from Atletico de Madrid and the young left back’s performances have aroused interest across top clubs in Europe. Chief among them being Real Madrid. According to Anton Mean of the Spanish publication La Cadena SER, Real have already enquired about the availability of the player with a view to strengthening their options for the left back position which is currently over-dependent on Marcelo.
In case you didn’t know?
The 19-year-old has been widely praised for his positional sense and for his ability to bring ou incredible bursts of acceleration a la Marcelo. A tireless presence on the left, he doubles up as winger for Alaves and allows the midfielders posted in that position to play with a rare freedom. The French youngster has appeared 23 times for Alaves, and has contributed 3 assists for the surprise package of this season’s La Liga. (Alaves are currently 10th, and are in the Copa del Rey final)
The heart of the matter
At Atletico, there is talk of doing a swap deal with Real Madrid with Los Blancos’ young central midfielder Marcos Llorente – also on loan at Alaves this season – as it would add to Atletico’s options in central midfield. However, there is a ‘non-aggression pact’ between the two Madrid giants, an unwritten rule that discourages transfers between the two and that could complicate the situation. While the figures under discussion are not known, Hernandez does have a €24 million release clause in his contract.
What next?
The youngster has drawn praise from Atletico boss Diego Simeone, and it is almost certain that he will feature in Atletico Madrid’s first team next season if he is not lured away by other clubs. Apart from Real Madrid, Liverpool have also evinced interest and are reportedly willing to pay nearly three times the wages that Real are offering. Meanwhile, Barcelona, Marseille and Bayern Munich have also shown interest.
Author’s Take
Hernandez is undoubtedly a big talent, and it is no surprise that several big clubs are interested in him. If it comes down to the Frenchman, it will depend on the priorities – if he wants regular first team football his best bet would be Liverpool... James Milner is a brilliant footballer, but Klopp could really use a more natural left-back in his stead. However, if Real Madrid do come calling, it will be really hard to decline – and the opportunity to be Marcelo’s understudy (the Brazilian is arguably the best in his position in the world at the moment) is an opportunity of a lifetime.
However this does pan out, you can rest assured that Sportskeeda will bring you the latest transfer developments in the Hernandez case
