Real Madrid right back Achraf Hakimi has garnered interest from top clubs around Europe, but Los Blancos cannot sell him.
When the 2020-2021 La Liga season begins, Real Madrid will likely have an an influx of top young talent on loan. Martin Ødegaard, Sergio Reguilón, and Achraf Hakimi could all return to the first team next season after being among the best players in Europe at their respective positions in the 2019-2020 season.
Hakimi is coming off two strong seasons for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, including an especially excellent 2019-2020 campaign. If the Bundesliga season does indeed restart soon, Hakimi will have a chance to add to his incredible performances, having recorded three goals and 10 assists in 25 appearances already.
Capable of shining as a right back or left winger, Hakmi has also succeeded as a right winger or left back. His versatility is scary, and he could be an option to either test Dani Carvajal or replace Gareth Bale.
So while the Real Madrid star is wanted by Dortmund for another year on loan and is receiving overtures from bigger clubs like PSG and Juventus, Los Blancos cannot afford to sell Hakimi. Even if a team were somehow able to submit a reasonable offer during the current economic crisis, the money spent on a goal-scorer wouldn’t be worth it.
Think about it this way. How many players in world football are like Hakimi? There is nobody. Not a single player has Hakimi’s versatility, pace, or attacking prowess at the fullback position. There are at least four positions on the pitch – and even more genuine roles – Hakimi can play at the highest level. And at 21, Hakimi is only scratching the surface.
During his time with Dortmund, Hakimi became one of the Bundesliga’s most valuable players, with his development going exactly according to Real Madrid’s plan. In all honesty, it has gone even better than planned, given the exciting attacking football Hakimi has partook in alongside current Madrid targets Erling Braut Håland and Jadon Sancho.
Hakimi may not be as valuable as those two, but the transfer price he would fetch would be less handsome. So under that financial lens and when considering his unique versatility, which is even more important in the modern game, Hakimi’s value on the transfer market underrates him severely.
Real Madrid need to keep ahold of Hakimi at all costs. Juve, PSG, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea all reportedly want Hakimi – and for good reason. He is a special player. But he is also Los Blancos’ player. They need to make sure it stays that way.