Achraf Hakimi - London or France?
Chelsea insider Dan McCarthy's provides the latest and his personal prediction on the Inter Milan defender's future.
Achraf Hakimi, the new man on the Chelsea transfer block, fiercely debated and sought after in the Chelsea FT Twitter hemisphere.
This saga has simply twisted and turned more than Eden Hazard in his prime days in West London, with Chelsea and PSG appearing to fight for the Moroccan’s signature. Both teams have taken the “lead” back and forth to secure the defender’s services, however, we are no closer to knowing who will win this war in the end.
The facts:
Hakimi will leave Inter this summer. Hakimi has stated his desire for a new challenge, Inter wants/need the money, a move looks destined to happen.
Chelsea and PSG hold interest in the player.
Inter want as much money for the player as possible. As I alluded to days ago, straight cash is the desired component for Inter.
With that said, who’s winning the battle? Well, Inter is. Inter have created a bidding war for their star player, at a time where money is paramount and much needed within the Milan establishment. They are also demanding a huge sum to get him, knowing PSG and Chelsea are financially capable of splurging some dollars this summer.
However, that’s not the answer you want, is it? Well, I do not conform to the twitter noise of “Tell us what we want to hear, not the truth.” So, the truth is, PSG are as of now, “closer to getting a deal done” due to the fact they were the first party interested, they have spoken further with the Hakimi party, lodged more of an approach and it’s apparent Hakimi prefers a move to Paris this summer.
In Chelsea’s camp, a formal bid has not arrived, as of now. Discussions have occurred between the parties, just a few days ago Chelsea were ahead of PSG due to the lucrative option of including players in the deal, which tickled Inter’s fancy with an array of fullbacks from Chelsea potentially involved. However, as I mentioned above, cash is king for Inter, and PSG will spend it willingly.
The latest is that PSG will go back in with another bid we believe, whilst Chelsea continues to weigh up how much they are willing to offer if at all they lodge an official bid. Tuchel very much wants the player, Chelsea wants to back him. However, Chelsea is also stubborn negotiators, plus have the Haaland saga to think about (This deal doesn’t affect that deal as such, however, financial awareness is key).
Chelsea wants to get Hakimi for cheaper than the quoted £80m, that's for sure. Hence the tactic of including players in recent negotiations, however, this might not be the winning tactic.
For what it’s worth if you’ve read my Twitter and my updates on this saga, I’ve always been sceptical of Hakimi arriving at Chelsea. I have maintained PSG for the most part lead this race, for reasons mentioned above, plus I see it likely from what I’m hearing/told he will end up there. However, the race isn’t over, as we know at Chelsea, anything can happen, cite John Obi Mikel and Willian’s transfer saga’s.
Keep your eyes on this one over the coming days. It will change again, and probably again. I will provide a significant update when they occur.
Written by Dan McCarthy - @MaccaSport