Well, wow.
Multiple reports say Chelsea has matched Paris Saint-Germain’s bid for Inter Milan star Achraf Hakimi, but a report out of Italy says Inter isn’t leaping to sell yet due to money.
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Yes, Chelsea like PSG is offering a respectable $73 million for Hakimi’s services, but Inter’s reported reason for selling him at all is about balancing the books and they are asking Chelsea and other suitors to pay up in cash. And the club wants about $10 million for the young wide player.
Furthermore, Chelsea was hoping to balance the deal by selling Andreas Christensen and Emerson Palmieri to the Italian champions. And while Inter is interested in Emerson, it wants to sort that in a separate deal and would prefer it be a loan.
Hakimi, 22 until November, has experience at both fullback spots but has found his footing as a wide midfielder and has a contract through the 2024-25 season.
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The Moroccan international scored seven goals and added 11 assists in 45 matches for Inter last season, a year after scoring nine times with 10 assists at Borussia Dortmund (though current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wasn’t Dortmund’s manager at that time).
Hakimi ranked fourth amongst Inter players in completed dribbles and third in tackles and was truly very good at Dortmund, too, especially in the second season of a two-year loan from Real Madrid.
As former teammate Erling Haaland considers his future with Chelsea as a possible option and current teammate Romelu Lukaku likely has plenty good to say about the West London set. That said, Inter’s room also includes former players from Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez), Tottenham (Christian Eriksen), Man United (Ashley Young, Matteo Darmian, Alexis, and Lukaku).
But this, like Haaland, does have a lot of, “But how?” Hakimi is on the way to being an elite right-sided man but Chelsea seems pretty darn sold on homegrown Reece James. And if it means using Hakimi in a more attacking role that could harm his international teammate Hakim Ziyech.
Emerson, for what it’s worth, is just 26 and is well-regarded in Italy for his time at AS Roma. The left-sided player would certainly fit the Inter bill.
