Reported Arsenal and Chelsea target Achraf Hakimi will be sold by Serie A champions Inter Milan in the summer transfer window, his agent has said in quotes reported by Sempre Inter.
From a sporting perspective, there’s no good reason why you would cash in on perhaps the most exciting young full-back in world football. After all, this is a man who contributed seven goals and 11 assists to the cause as Antonio Conte’s Nerazzurri ended a decade-long trophy drought in May.
For a cash-strapped Inter, however, money comes first.
With the Italian giants stuck in a perilous financial situation, selling a star player or two appears to be their only means of escape.
Romelu Lukaku, Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella have all been tipped to leap from a seemingly sinking ship, while Stefan de Vrij and Marcelo Brozovic were both linked with a shock switch to Tottenham Hotspur this week.
But it seems as though Hakimi could take on the role of Inter’s sacrificial lamb instead. The defender has been transfer-listed by a club desperate to raise funds – and fast – to stave off a real threat of financial ruin.
Will Arsenal beat Chelsea to Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi?
“The only one who will leave Inter, perhaps, is Hakimi, who could possibly go to multiple teams in Europe,” says Alejandro Camano, the former Real Madrid youngster’s agent.
“Inter have told us they must sell a player – and they have chosen Hakimi.”
Could Inter’s loss be Arsenal’s gain?
Mikel Arteta personally green-lighted a move for the Morocco international recently, according to AS, with the Gunners seeing Hakimi as an upgrade on the transfer-listed Hector Bellerin.
However, it remains to be seen whether a player who shone as a wing-back under Conte would have the same impact in a back four at the Emirates.
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are both understood to have lodged bids for the one-time Borussia Dortmund loanee too (Sky Sports).
Hakimi’s near £70 million price tag is proving a problem, however, and Inter may be forced to lower their demands if they are serious about selling a 22-year-old who would make a turbo-charged Ferrari look like a Trabant by comparison.
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