A surprise return with far-reaching consequences? PSG star apparently desperate to join Real Madrid

Hakimi was promoted from the youth team to Real Madrid’s first team in 2017 and was loaned to Borussia Dortmund for two years in 2018, where he made his breakthrough. When his loan spell ended, Inter Milan secured the full-back’s services for €43 million, as he would have had to wait his turn behind players such as Marcelo and Dani Carvajal at Real Madrid.

Hakimi continued to develop at Inter, but stayed in the Lombardian capital for just one year before moving to Paris, where PSG paid €68 million for the now 27-year-old. He won the Champions League with PSG last season, with the French side thrashing Hakimi’s former club Inter 5-0 in the final.

Whether Hakimi will actually be allowed to leave the French capital, however, is another matter entirely. The 2025 African Footballer of the Year only extended his contract in February 2025 until 2029, so PSG would not be under any immediate pressure to act. Furthermore, the question remains as to whether Real are even interested in signing Hakimi.

Although the two-time Champions League winner is undoubtedly world-class, a transfer is likely to be extremely costly. Furthermore, Hakimi is at home on the right flank, a position where the ‘White Ballet’ are already excellently covered by captain Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined from Liverpool FC in the summer. Should the move go ahead, either Alexander-Arnold or Hakimi would have to switch to the left side.