Achraf Hakimi: Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea to sign Inter Milan wing-back on five-year deal

Posted Wednesday, July 07, 2021 by Skysports.com

Wing-back Achraf Hakimi has joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan on a five-year contract.

The 22-year-old arrives at the Parc des Princes having won the 2020/21 Serie A title under Antonio Conte in his only season at Inter last term.

The Morocco international was also a transfer target for Champions League winners Chelsea, who had matched PSG's £51.3m transfer offer for the defender. The fee that the French club will pay for Hakimi could rise to £60m.

Upon his arrival in Paris, Hakimi said: "I feel a lot of pride today. After my experiences in Spain, Germany and Italy, Paris Saint-Germain offers me the opportunity to discover a new championship under the colours of one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.

"I can't wait to meet my new team-mates, the fans and feel the extraordinary fervour that reigns at the Parc des Princes.

"I share the same very high ambitions with the staff and the players and will do everything to give my club what it expects of me. "

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Paris Saint-Germain's president, said: "We are happy to welcome Achraf Hakimi to Paris.

"The signing of a player of this stature shows the level of our ambitions. We continue to build something very special.

"Achraf is only 22 years old, but he's already established himself as one of the best full-backs in the world of football, and that's the standard we set for ourselves at the club.

"I know Achraf will have a fantastic career with us and the whole club wish him every success under our colours."

Hakimi becomes PSG's third summer signing after Georginio Wijnaldum joined the French giants following the expiry of his contract at Liverpool. The club also triggered the option to make defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira's season-long loan deal permanent.

The Ligue 1 club are also closing in on the signing of Italy international goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose contract at AC Milan ran out on July 1.

PSG are looking to bolster Mauricio Pochettino's squad after they missed out on the French top-flight title to Lille and exited the Champions League at the semi-final stage last season.

Wing-back Hakimi completes his move to PSG following an impressive 2020/21 season in which he made 37 Serie A appearances for Inter, scored seven times and made 10 assists on their way to their first Italian top-flight title in 11 years.

Inter need to recoup around 100m Euros (£85.5m) on player sales due to heavy financial losses, which were part of the reason behind Conte's decision to quit as manager last month.

Hakimi joined Inter from Real Madrid for €40m (£34.3m) last summer after he spent two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund between 2018 and 2020.