Chelsea are looking to make a move for Real Madrid full-back Achraf Hakimi at the end of this season – as per reports.
Achraf Hakimi came up through the ranks at Real Madrid and he has been out on loan to Real Madrid since 2018 but is about to come back to Spain this summer.
The right-back has been a fine player for the German side over the past two seasons and there had been some rumours that the player could be signed permanently by BVB at the end of the season. But now it has been made clear that Dortmund do not have a clause to make the loan deal permanent in the summer.
And it seems like Achraf Hakimi will not have a place at the Bernabeu as well since Madrid are planning to sell him off before the new season starts.
While a few clubs have been linked with a move for the full-back with the latest addition being Chelsea who reportedly want a long-term replacement for Azpilicueta.
Azpilicueta close to being 31 years old meaning he will be moving out of Stamford Bridge pretty soon and hence the Blues want to sign Achraf Hakimi before the Chelsea captain hangs up his boots.
But while Achraf Hakimi will most certainly be a fine addition to the roster but we are not sure if the 21-year-old would actually want to join the London outfit since the club already have a fine youngster in the form of Reece James.
If Hakimi was to join the Premier League side then it would mean that he will have to fight for his place in the first XI. And this is the last thing he would want to do after providing 10 assists in 25 Bundesliga games for BVB this season.
UPDATE(1st April 2020):
Chelsea have suffered a major setback in signing Achraf Hakimi since the latest reports are suggesting Juventus too have joined the race to sign the right-back in the summer.
Juventus are currently one of the major powerhouses in European football and if given a choice the youngster will most certainly choose to play for the Turin outfit instead of a being part of a rebuilding plan at Stamford Bridge.
We still don’t know just how strong the interest from Juve is but if this news is legit then it will be a huge blow for Chelsea given that Hakimi can not only play as a right-back but also as a wing-back and something as a left-back as well.
UPDATE(10th April 2020):
If the news of Juventus joining the race to sign Achraf Hakimi was not enough now it’s being claimed that Arsenal and Tottenham are also in the race to sign the full-back.
Both the North London clubs are badly in need of defensive reinforcements for the upcoming season and it seems like they want to make a move for the Real Madrid man as potential replacements to Hector Bellerin and Serge Aurier respectively.
This news will surely be a big blow to Chelsea since the Blues are already fighting against the likes of Juventus, PSG and Bayern for the services of the Morrocan international.
And if this was not enough, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has now made it clear that he wants Hakimi to remain at the Bernabeu and is willing to hold contract talks with him pretty soon.
