The 22-year-old defender impressed in his two years at BVB, scoring 12 goals and providing 17 assists in 73 games, while he also raised the DFL-Supercup.
Hakimi’s price continues to rise
Achraf Hakimi played just nine LaLiga games for Real Madrid before loaning him to Borussia Dortmund and then selling him to Inter. Still, Los Blancos may regret this decision as the Moroccan’s price continues to rise. The 22-year-old defender impressed in his two years at BVB, scoring 12 goals and providing 17 assists in 73 games, while he also raised the DFL-Supercup. With a lot coming regarding him as one of the best players in his position in European football, there was some surprise last summer when Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane allowed him to leave. After joining Inter for €40 million, Achraf has scored seven goals and eight assists in 37 Serie A appearances as he helped the Nerazzurri raise the title for the first time in over a decade.
Achraf would likely have had a chance to win a place at Madrid in the side this season
Achraf could be on the move again, and Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly eyeing up a deal that could rise to €70 million. However, looking at how things have gone for the Madrid-born defender, you have to wonder if Los Blancos got it wrong last summer. Achraf joined the Real Madrid academy at the age of eight and has wanted an opportunity to prove himself in the first team, but now he can forever be the one that got away. Of course, hindsight is a great thing, but with Real Madrid’s injury problems in 2020/21, Achraf would likely have had a chance to win a place in the side this season.
Of course, there was an economic factor in the decision to sell the player last summer, but Real may regret the short-term approach now that Achraf is proving himself a player who could make the right-back place his own for the next ten years. Even if they saw him purely as a sellable asset, there is the question of whether Real cashed in too fast and too cheaply, with a player’s value rising from €40 million to €70 million in just one season. On the other hand, he may not have developed as well without the regular games he had at Inter this season, and PSG might not have read their cheque book. Whether Achraf plays his football in Paris or Milan next season, there will be many in Madrid wondering ‘what if’ as yet another La Fabrica product becoming a success elsewhere.