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One year after leaving AC Milan for Al-Hilal for €25 million, Théo Hernandez is packing his bags. The 28-year-old French international left-back wants to return to Europe as early as this summer and has made his availability known to several Italian clubs. Napoli and Juventus top the destinations mentioned by the transalpine press.
The Saudi exile, one year and then gone
The assessment is bitter for the one who had yielded to the sirens of the Persian Gulf in the summer of 2025.
The assessment is bitter for the one who had yielded to the sirens of the Persian Gulf in the summer of 2025. Despite a comfortable contract and star status in the Saudi league, Hernandez feels the gap with the very high European level every week. The full-back, fourth in the 2026 World Cup with the French team, fears for his place in the national squad and for the rest of his career.
At Al-Hilal, they would not hold the player against his will. The Saudi club, which invested €25 million to attract him, simply hopes to recover part of its outlay. The operation, however, requires a salary effort from the Frenchman: the emoluments received in Saudi Arabia are incomparable to what a European club, even a top-tier one, can offer.
Napoli and Juve in pole position
Tuttosport and Adnkronos confirm that the French international has been offered to two Serie A heavyweights. Juventus is looking to strengthen its left flank and is studying the case closely. But an arrival in Turin is conditional on the departure of Andrea Cambiaso, the current starter in that position, which complicates the financial setup. Frederic Massara, the Bianconero sporting director who knows Hernandez well from their time together at Milan, could weigh in on discussions and facilitate a possible agreement.
Napoli represents the other serious track. Aurelio De Laurentiis's club, always active in the market, appreciates the Frenchman's profile. A return to AC Milan, where Hernandez wrote the finest pages of his career between 2019 and 2025 with a Scudetto and 29 goals in 213 matches, is not excluded but seems less of a priority at this stage of the transfer window.
Perfect timing for the Blues
Didier Deschamps can only rejoice at this prospect. The Euro 2028 qualifiers are approaching, and a Hernandez playing every week in a top-5 European league would regain the exposure and rhythm that international level demands. The coach has never stopped calling him up, even after his departure for the Middle East.
At 28, the full-back is reaching maturity. His Champions League experience, his ability to repeat efforts, and his mastery of the attacking counter-move make him a rare asset in a left-back market that is thin this summer. After a Saudi season without much sporting luster, the desire to return to European battles clearly drives the player. It remains to be seen whether Al-Hilal will facilitate the operation or demand a straight transfer that would cool off suitors. The next ten days should seal the Frenchman's future.
A precedent that could set a trend
The Hernandez case illustrates a nascent trend: that of top players who, after a brief experience in Saudi Arabia, seek to return to Europe before losing their level. Other names are already circulating behind the scenes. If the Frenchman gets his way, his move could inspire more than one and reshuffle some cards in a summer transfer window that is still far from having revealed all its secrets.