Chelsea are tracking Achraf Hakimi and are interested in bringing him to Stamford Bridge this summer.
The 22-year old played an instrumental role in guiding Inter Milan to their first Scudetto in over a decade.
As reported by The Express, the Blues are highly keen to acquire the services of the Morocco international. Thomas Tuchel’s arrival to Chelsea has brought a drastic change in the fortunes of the club. They were able to finish at the fourth spot in the Premier League and made it to yet another FA Cup final.
However, the biggest feather in their cap was beating Manchester City to lift the most coveted UEFA Champions League trophy. The amazing work of the manager has been rewarded with a contract extension. Now, it looks like the club hierarchy is going to back him in this window to bolster his squad further.
Achraf Hakimi has enjoyed a stunning season with Inter Milan. In 37 Serie A league games, he bagged seven goals and provided eight assists. After notching up these numbers, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Hakimi is Europe’s best right-wing back at present. He continued his strong club form for his country, scoring the winning goal against Burkina Faso in a recent international friendly match.
Will Achraf Hakimi be an excellent addition for Chelsea?
Thomas Tuchel has Reece James at his disposal who plays as the right-wing back. The 21-year old has shown great promise and can be a future star for the club. However, adding Hakimi into the mix will further strengthen that position. Even though the former Real Madrid defender can operate as a right-back, it is the right-wing back spot that suits him the best. Having three central defenders behind helps him to focus more on the offensive side of his game.
Tuchel can also look at giving James a longer run as the right-sided centre-back, a position in which he was used a couple of times by the same manager. Cesar Azpilicueta is not getting any younger and trying out an already available option could be a smart move by the UCL winning manager.
Tuchel has favoured the 3-4-2-1 formation which requires wing-backs who can stretch the opponents. Achraf Hakimi has the energy and the pace to run up and down the flank. His dribbling ability helps him to get away from the opposition and create goal-scoring opportunities. Having a bigger squad will aid the former PSG manager to strongly fight in all competitions next term.
The Italian newspaper Il Corriere Dello Sport (via The Express) states that Chelsea have tabled a player plus cash offer in front of Inter Milan. They are willing to swap Emerson Palmieri and will also pay a £43 million fee. The Italian giants are willing to sell players in order to raise funds to balance their financial books which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. This opens a window of great opportunity for the defending Champions League champions to acquire a player who has a big future ahead of him.
Stats via Whoscored.com
