Real Madrid fullback Achraf Hakimi clearly isn’t going anywhere, but that hasn’t stopped a big Premier League club from being linked to the young star.
Over the past two seasons at Borussia Dortmund, Achraf Hakimi has gone from promising fullback to true star. Hakimi will return to Real Madrid for the 2020-2021 season after shining under Lucien Favre, playing at a high level at four distinct positions: right back, left back, right winger, and left winger.
The 21-year-old will return to Los Blancos on a reported five-year contract to ensure he remains with the team for the foreseeable future as he develops into a big star at the Santiago Bernabeu. Hakimi will immediately compete with Dani Carvajal for minutes at right back, but he could also end up replacing Gareth Bale, who will almost certainly be cut loose after a woeful 2019-2020 season, at right winger.
However, despite the reported new contract for Hakimi, the versatile Madrid man is apparently drawing interest from Chelsea.
The Mirror’s Tom Hopkinson reports that the Blues have made an approach for Hakimi, and they were among a number of teams who asked Real about his availability. Real apparently told them to wait until the official conclusion of the season, but they might as well have told Chelsea to never call back again.
Hakimi is one of the most valuable players in the world right now. It’s hard to quantify the value of a 21-year-old player who scored four goals in the Champions League and had 10 assists in the Bundesliga and can play four positions. The Moroccan international is an absolute stud, and even Chelsea wouldn’t be able to part ways with the cash Real Madrid would ask for him.
And that’s assuming Real would ever consider selling Hakimi. The reality is they wouldn’t. Real know what Hakimi can bring to the table as an all-around player, and there’s no doubt Zinedine Zidane would love to use Hakimi as a moveable chess piece.
A competent defensive player and a dangerous, intelligent attacker who registered as the Bundesliga’s fastest player, Hakimi has the brightest of futures in La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid. Chelsea are a great club, but Hakimi made it clear that he wants to star for Los Merengues, even though leaving Dortmund must have been tough for him.