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Real Madrid Transfer News: Borussia Dortmund Seek Permanent Achraf Hakimi Move
November 25, 2018
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has announced his intention to sign Real Madrid loanee Achraf Hakimi to a permanent deal.
Watzka spoke to the press after the club turned Paco Alcacer's loan from Barcelona into a permanent transfer and said the club will try a similar approach with the young full-back, per Goal's Ronan Murphy:
Per Goal's Stephen Creek, the 20-year-old is in the first year of a two-year loan spell at the Signal Iduna Park. Former Los Blancos manager Julen Lopetegui had no plans for the Moroccan, and it's unclear whether Santiago Solari sees a future for him at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Hakimi worked with Solari in Real's youth setup, where he established himself as one of the team's most exciting young talents. He was promoted to the senior side at the start of last season and made his debut in October, seeing more minutes than expected due to the absence of Dani Carvajal.
The youngster mostly held his own but also had some shaky moments, and he dropped down the pecking order as the season wore on. He clearly wasn't ready to play regularly for the European champions on the biggest stage, leading to the loan move.
It's fair to say he's been a success in the Bundesliga so far:
Hakimi has proven a perfect fit for Dortmund's high-octane style of play. Always looking to attack, he has become the team's regular left-back even though he came up as a right-back in Madrid.
The speedster has kept the talented Raphael Guerreiro on the bench with his great play and has put up some remarkable numbers:
It's easy to see why Dortmund would want to keep him, but that may prove tricky. They were able to sign Alcacer due to an option included in the loan deal from Barcelona, and there doesn't appear to be a similar clause in Hakimi's deal, per Real's official website.
Los Blancos splashed the cash on Alvaro Odriozola this summer and have Carvajal on the books as well, giving them two excellent options at the right-back position. Hakimi has the potential to be better than both of them once he hits his prime, however.
The Spaniards can take a patient approach and track his development for the next two years before making a decision. Much will likely depend on who their manager is by the time Hakimi's loan deal ends.