Arsenal transfer news: Gunners eye Achraf Hakimi as Hector Bellerin replacement
The Morocco international is reportedly a target for Mikel Arteta's side
Arsenal have identified Achraf Hakimi as a potential replacement for Hector Bellerin, according to reports.
Bellerin faces an uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium, with PSG among the clubs said to be interested in the Spain international.
It has been suggested that the right-back could have moved on last summer, only to be persuaded to stay in north London for another season by Mikel Arteta.
However, Bellerin could depart at the end of the current campaign, particularly if Arsenal miss out on European football.
The Gunners are currently 10th in the Premier League table with a 12-point gap separating them from the top four.
Bellerin is under contract until 2023, and the Gunners may wish to cash in on him this summer to extract maximum value from a sale.
Arsenal have already been on the lookout for potential successors, with Tariq Lamptey and Max Aarons both linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
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According to the Daily Telegraph, Hakimi is another right-back who Arsenal are keeping tabs on.
Arteta’s side hope to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding Inter Milan, whose owners, Suning Holdings Group, recently shut down their Chinese outfit.
Inter signed Hakimi for £34m just last summer, but Arsenal hope to prise him away from San Siro 12 months on.
Chelsea are also admirers of the Morocco international and view him as a potential option higher up the pitch.
Reece James is seen as the long-term option at right-back, but Hakimi could compete for a place further forward.
He would also be comfortable playing as a wing-back in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-1-2 formation.
The report states that Hakimi would command a transfer fee of around £40m, but it is not clear whether he would be willing to join Arsenal if there was no European football on offer at the Emirates.
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