Hakimi situation getting complicated
The game playing started since Chelsea were closing in on the deal
Last week, I bought you the news that Chelsea were getting closing in on Achraf Hakimi.
This was backed up by many top sources at the time including The BBC, Sky Sports, and Sky Italy, as well as other Chelsea insiders.
The fact is, Chelsea were set to get the deal over the line with PSG backing out of the deal. Hakimi is definitely leaving Inter, his agent has confirmed that, and Chelsea had a free run at him and negotiations were closing in.
As I’ve always maintained, I’ve not ever known the full details of the deal, apart from what is out there from other outlets.
Gianluca Di Marzio, The BBC, and a host of other sources believe that Marcos Alonso is involved in the deal, and he still might be, this is still the stance from many sources. Some even say that Alonso’s terms are the only thing holding up Hakimi to Chelsea now.
What I find very odd and confusing here is Fabrizio Romano, who is a Sky Italy colleague of Di Marzio, only ever reporting that Chelsea are interested in Hakimi, not that they were advancing or anything else.
I fully respect and trust Romano as a source, and I speak to him every few days liaising about certain deals. Early Monday morning he put out a Hakimi update casually admitting that Chelsea had actually made an offer, which is what my reliable information had told me last week. He says this offer is not official, but Chelsea ARE offering ‘players’.
'“Inter are waiting to receive new bids for Hakimi. Talks ongoing with PSG, Chelsea are offering players but Inter want €80m.” - Fabrizio Romano.
So he is now in agreement that Chelsea have offered a player (likely to be Alonso). But he believes that Inter want cash only, which my colleague Dan McCarthy has also eluded to last week.
Romano and a host of other Italian sources including Di Marzio, now believe it is PSG in the lead for Hakimi..
However, as Angleo Mangiante says here, Chelsea are still ‘close’ as well as PSG, and still very much in the race for Hakimi.
So where is the deal now? Anyone’s guess.
I’m told the situation remains the same as what I reported here last week.
Inter need to make about 70 million euros (£60m) by June the 30th to cover some of their investments (not my info, from Sky Italy).
But Romano says they want an 80 million euros cash deal for Hakimi (£69m). PSG are reportedly about to offer near this, but nothing official has been heard yet.
Personally, I believe there is a bit of game playing going on. Negotiation tactics are coming to play here and Inter want the most/best possible deal.
This has lead to PSG backing away, then coming back in, and the same with Chelsea. It’s all normal and game playing as is always the case with these deals.
As we told you in our report (above), Hakimi has verbally agreed to terms from both Chelsea and PSG and he is happy to go to either.
However, he does have family in Paris and this is his and his families preferred destination. This doesn’t mean he isn’t happy to go to Chelsea, and last week that is where he thought he was going.
It comes down to what offer Inter decide to accept. Whichever club pays the most money/offers the best deal (I’m still not writing offer a player plus cash deal), then that is where Hakimi will end up.
Although, if Inter keep over-pricing Hakimi in these negotiations, could they risk both PSG and Chelsea turning away entirely?
Chelsea could still thrash out a deal here, and Alonso could still go the other way, we know Inter are really keen on signing him, but they just need to get at least £60m in cash coming in before the end of the month.
As I’ve always said, although Chelsea were getting close to concluding it last week, it was never a done deal. And PSG moving back in for him after going quiet on the deal, certainly complicates things further and makes it more of a bidding war. Chelsea hate these.
Simon Phillips