Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd frustrate Chelsea with sensational wing-back snare taking shape in £60million move

Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain, February 2023

Manchester United have taken the lead in the pursuit of Achraf Hakimi, as reports suggest they’re willing to meet Paris Saint-Germain’s asking price, while Chelsea are struggling.

PSG have apparently made it clear they’re willing to listen to offers for some of their stars. That’s reportedly due to the the Ligue 1 side beginning a new strategy, focussed on recruiting young French talents.

Hakimi is one of the players they’re willing to let go this summer. That might seem a big loss, given his impact during his short time at the club.

In his first season, he scored four times and provided six assists in 32 games, as PSG won the league by 15 points.

In 25 league appearances so far this campaign, he’s scored four times and chipped in with three assists. The Morocco international has also assisted twice in eight Champions League games.

He’s become one of the world’s best wing-backs; PSG’s loss will be another side’s gain.

It looks as if Manchester United or Chelsea could be the beneficiaries of the move. Both sides have been linked with Hakimi, and they’ve learned that £60million will be enough to secure his services.

It might seem that would put them on a level playing field, with both surely able to cough up that sort of cash.

Man Utd take lead in Hakimi chase

However, it seems that’s not the case. Football Insider have reported United are better positioned than Chelsea to secure the services of Hakimi.

The financial situation at both clubs is cited as the reason for that. The Blues are apparently ‘struggling to put together a financial package’ to be able to land the star.

That they’ve had such a big outlay in recent seasons means they might now struggle to make big moves without any significant outgoings, with potential Financial FairPlay breaches surely not too far away.

Meanwhile, United have reportedly ‘prepared a summer budget’ and are ‘willing to meet’ PSG’s asking price of £60million.

A move to Old Trafford seems as if it wold suit Hakimi, too. The report suggests he ‘is open’ to a move to the Premier League and would prefer to join a side that are ‘competing in the Champions League’.

The Red Devils currently fourth in the table, with a decent gap to fifth and with games in hand, so a place in the competition should be safe for next season.

Hakimi a top signing

Hakimi would be a fantastic signing for any club in a top-flight league. His impact on both sides of the ball has been evident at each of his last three clubs – PSG, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

He could slot nicely into the United defence. While Diogo Dalot operates at right-back, he’s got a good deal of experience on the left-hand side.

As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was to be deployed there to accommodate for Hakimi. While that would mean Luke Shaw would be without a place, he’s acquitted himself well at centre-back, so could rotate between either position when needed.

As such, the signing of Hakimi would add to the depth in each position, while adding a sensation asset to the side.

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