Real Madrid: There’s no way Achraf Hakimi chooses Bayern Munich

Real Madrid fullback Achraf Hakimi has been playing so well in the Bundesliga that Borussia Dortmund aren’t the only club dreaming of signing him from Los Blancos.

Stop me if you’ve read this headline before. “Borussia Dortmund executive wants Achraf Hakimi to stay.”

It’s obvious that BVB dream of keeping Hakimi over the long-term, but Real Madrid have final say on where the versatile fullback goes after the completion of his wildly successful two-year loan spell with Dortmund.

And while Madridistas should be grateful to Dortmund – a club known for giving young players ample opportunities – for developing Hakimi into a legit star, there’s simply no way Florentino Perez lets the man go.

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Not only is Hakimi a high-quality player who can excel at either left back or right back – or even as a winger on either side – but Real have him tabbed as Dani Carvajal’s successor at right back. Yeah, Alvaro Odriozola was once a hyped prospect, but he’s got nothing on Hakimi.

Dortmund’s desire to keep Hakimi is admirable, but it will ultimately come to nothing.

And the same can be said for another Bundesliga team with interest.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. “Bayern Munich interested in signing young player shining at rival Bundesliga club instead of developing their own talent.”

That’s apparently what Bayern plan on doing with Hakimi, one year after signing center back/right back Benjamin Pavard from VfB Stuttgart.

MARCA reports that Bayern have sent an inquiry to Real for Hakimi and “are prepared to make an offer” for the talented Morocco international.

I admire Bayern’s due diligence and the fact that they are smart enough to realize Hakimi is a world-class player, but this deal isn’t happening.

First of all, Bayern almost never pay premium for players. Except maybe when Pep Guardiola was manager. But their manager is Hansi Flick, who is part of the establishment. Their whole M.O. is signing German players for free, such as Alexander Nubel this winter (for next year).

Hakimi? He’d cost something approaching what Bayern paid for Lucas Hernandez. Maybe they’ll do it, but it seems like they’d rather spend that money on Leroy Sane. Signing both? After the ho-hum summer Bayern had, it’s unlikely they’d do that.

Plus, why would Hakimi leave Real Madrid for a club with less prestige and recent Champions League success? Why turn down the opportunity to play at the Santiago Bernabeu under Zinedine Zidane in the city he was born in for a club that fired Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti unceremoniously? A club that has been wildly inconsistent over the past couple of seasons.

If Hakimi loves the Bundesliga and Dortmund, why would he turn traitor and join one of their most hated rivals in a completely lateral move? Why would he want to become a villain to join a team that is doing worse and probably won’t pay him as much money?

Bayern’s interest is noteworthy, because, well, Bayern are Real’s traditional Champions League rivals and are a great team. But they aren’t on Real Madrid’s level, nor have they shown they are a formidable force on the transfer market, beyond poaching German players for free.

So if you are a Real Madrid fan, don’t worry about Bayern’s interest in Achraf Hakimi. It’ll come to nothing. And if you’re a Bayern fan, I hope your club signs another young superstar to help Serge Gnabry and stops giving complacent veterans minutes because they’re good at politicking.