Liverpool must beat Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain to Achraf Hakimi, with the two clubs in negotiations with Inter Milan over the fullback.
Fabrizio Romano reports: PSG are negotiating with Inter for Achraf Hakimi. Talks ongoing around €60m but Inter want €80m.
“Chelsea also contacted Hakimi agent in the last days, there’s still nothing agreed.”
Sky Sports followed that story up by suggesting Chelsea have matched their offer with a £56.1m (€60m) offer.
Last week I said that Liverpool should consider signing the Inter Milan star to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a new lease on life in midfield.
I wrote: “At face value, signing Achraf Hakimi for €80m when Klopp already has the best attacking right back in the world seems daft but if the high-flyer arrived, Liverpool could move Trent into midfield.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 23, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
“Not only is Hakimi one of the best right-backs in the world, but he is also fantastic at right-wing.
“So by spending on €80m (£68.8m) on one player, Jurgen Klopp would actually be spending €26.6m (£22.8m) per position that he’d be reinforcing. Signing the Inter Milan champion would upgrade the entirety of Liverpool’s options on the right-hand side.”
Hakimi coming in could give Trent his midfield dream, maintain world-class attacking levels at right-back while also providing cover for Mohamed Salah at right-wing which would make paying €80m (£68.8m) seem more financially savvy.
Hakimi played most of his games at right-back for Inter Milan as they romped to the Serie A title but somehow managed to score 7 goals and assist another 11 which is one fewer than Alexander-Arnold managed in the 2019/20 title-winning campaign.
MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 20: Achraf Hakimi of Inter Milan scores their team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Spezia Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 20, 2020 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Not only would signing Hakimi bolster Liverpool’s side but it would also hurt Chelsea’s plans to reinforce Thomas Tuchel’s team ahead of the new season and considering how good the 22-year-old would be in his system which relies on attacking wingbacks, it’s vital that Klopp doesn’t let him add the Scudetto winner to his ranks.
Trent moving into midfield would also mean the need to sign a new midfielder wouldn’t be as pressing, which means signing Hakimi would improve the squad in a holistic way that signing a central midfielder wouldn’t.
It would be a very out of the box approach to the transfer market and would give Klopp several options to tweak his side on the fly.
