A report suggests Achraf Hakimi may be eyeing a summer transfer back to his boyhood club, Real Madrid, in 2025. Having made his name at PSG and established himself as an important part of the Morocco national setup, Hakimi is now keen to rejoin Los Blancos. A move of such nature will indeed come with complications. We shall delve into Achraf Hakimi's story thus far, his ambition for a Real Madrid return, the current full-back situation at the club, and the complications that may arise surrounding this transfer.
Achraf Hakimi's Journey: From Real Madrid to PSG
Born in Madrid, Hakimi's footballing career started from the youth ranks of the famous Real Madrid academy, La Fábrica. Having risen through the various youth levels, Hakimi debuted for Real Madrid's first team in October 2017. Under the then-manager Zinedine Zidane, the Moroccan International gradually showed his silky skills as a right-back. Despite an impressive performance, the short spell he had at Real Madrid came to an end.
Hakimi played only a few matches for Real Madrid during the 2017-18 season. The depth within the team was such, especially in defense, that even emerging talents such as him could hardly get game time. For this reason, Real Madrid loaned him out to Borussia Dortmund for two years in 2018-something that would prove to be a turning point for him.
Hakimi excelled in the Bundesliga, soon becoming noted for his pace, technical ability, and power to contribute both offensively and defensively. In two seasons with Borussia Dortmund, Hakimi has made 73 appearances, scored 12 goals, and provided 17 assists. His attacking threat from full-back, added to his versatility-he can operate on both the right and left flank-makes him one of Europe's most wanted players.
Following his successful loan spell in Germany, Hakimi moved to Inter Milan in 2020 for a reported deal of €40 million. During his spell with Inter, Hakimi continued building his reputation as one of the finest wing-backs in world football. He was instrumental in helping Inter win their first Serie A title in over a decade during the 2020-21 season. He scored 7 goals in 45 appearances for the club, laying on 10 in his only season there.
Hakimi made the headline transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in July 2021 for a reported transfer sum of around €60 million. Since joining the French capital, Hakimi has played a total of 123 games, scored 15 times, and provided a further 20 assists thus far. Despite all this success, reports still indicate that Hakimi grew disenchanted with life at PSG and now craved a return to Real Madrid.
Desire to Return to Real Madrid
While Hakimi has been successful at PSG, his bond with Real Madrid is deep. Originating from the Spanish capital, Hakimi spent most of his formative years at Real Madrid and has treated the club as his home ever since. His motivation to return to Los Blancos is not a professional preference but a personal note.
With all reports suggesting Hakimi is determined to make his return in summer 2025 at 27, a time when players are at their prime. His eagerness to rejoin Real Madrid, speculation about the move has heaped that the move is far from straightforward.
Things have been frosty between the two clubs in recent years, and that got a bit more personal after Real Madrid had that well-documented failure to sign Kylian Mbappe. PSG isn't exactly in the habit of giving away star players, so the deal would come at a premium price, no doubt. So the two main obstacles standing in the way are past tensions and a prospective big money transfer, but Hakimi's desire to go back to Santiago Bernabéu could always advance negotiations.
Real Full Back Situation
Dani Carvajal has been Real Madrid's first-choice right-back for over a decade and remains the undisputed first choice. At 32, though, Carvajal is reaching the latter stages of what has been an illustrious career to date. He continues to play to a high standard, but Real Madrid will have to begin thinking about life after Carvajal, and Hakimi could be the perfect long-term replacement.
Over the course of the last 12 months, Carvajal has defeated expectations with his brilliant performances. However, age is slowly creeping up, and Real Madrid's backroom staff know it's important to find a natural successor who will help carry the club forward in the coming years. Hakimi, with his offensive and defensive capabilities, would be a natural fit at fullback. His familiarity with the club and its culture would make things a lot smoother.
In that regard, Hakimi is not the only right-back that Real Madrid have on their radar, but with the reports that they also are very much interested in another world-class right-back in Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, who would provide them with the similar attacking threat. Real Madrid definitely must weigh their options quite carefully when replacing Carvajal, while both Hakimi and Alexander-Arnold offer different attributes.
Transfer Complications
A transfer for Hakimi is not as clear-cut a matter as it initially appeared, despite his desire to return to Real Madrid. For one, PSG would not want to lose one of their star players, especially given how vital Hakimi has proved to them so far. Relations between Real Madrid and PSG have also been cold ever since the Kylian Mbappe saga, further complicating negotiations.
PSG is also renowned for reluctance when it comes to selling their key players, especially to rival European clubs. Anything pertaining to the signing of Hakimi would most definitely come with a fat price tag; Real Madrid would need to make a call if they were prepared to go to that extent. The club's concentration on building a new generation of Galacticos, including Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, means they are already well-invested in the future.
Besides, Hakimi's contract with PSG runs until 2026, meaning that the French outfit has all the bargaining chips. Real Madrid will have to be definitive in trying to get Hakimi back to the Santiago Bernabéu, or any delay could provide the entrance door to other clubs for the same players.
Conclusion
A return to Real Madrid would be a potentially tantalizing prospect for Achraf Hakimi, the player, and the club, all things considered. That his rise from Real Madrid's academy to the pinnacle of European football was nothing short of remarkable, and a desire to come full circle and rejoin Los Blancos is understandable in lots of ways. The possible complications surrounding a transfer mean this is far from over as a story.
To Real Madrid, Hakimi is the ideal solution to their right-back problem, with Dani Carvajal in the winter of his career. However, PSG's reluctance to sell, coupled with the frosty relationship between the two clubs, could make negotiations complicated for Real.
The whole footballing world will be watching come summer 2025 to see whether the dream return of Hakimi to Real Madrid becomes a reality. Whether or not it does, one thing is certain: Hakimi's skill and ambition make him one of the most exciting players in world football.
