Achraf Hakimi has seen a move away from Inter mooted heading towards the next transfer window, with Arsenal and Chelsea said to be among his suitors, but the highly-rated defender says his intention is to spend "a long time" at San Siro.
The 22-year-old full-back only made his way to Italy during the summer of 2020, with a productive loan stint at Borussia Dortmund seeing his stock rise and Real Madrid presented with plenty of options when it came to a sale.
Inter won that race, but financial struggles for the Serie A side have led to suggestions that prized assets may have to be offloaded in order to balance the books - with Hakimi falling into that category as he attracts admiring glances from England.
What has been said?
Discussing his past, present and future, Hakimi told La Repubblica: "The team that attracted me the most was Inter and I saw it as a growth project.
"I am honoured to be one of the testimonials for the new club logo. I like it, as it looks to the future, a future we can build together.
"I hope to stay at this club for a long time, I’m very happy."
The bigger picture
Hakimi has enjoyed a productive debut campaign at Inter, with Antonio Conte's side closing in on a first title triumph since 2010.
On that bid for a domestic crown, which has the Nerazzurri sat 11 points clear of the chasing pack, Hakimi added: "It was a gradual growth process, as many of us were new here, myself included, so we took a while to get to know each other.
"Some things also happened that gave us that extra push. The Champions League elimination allowed us to focus entirely on Serie A and we learned from every defeat what we really wanted to do.
"We talk about the Scudetto with respect, knowing it’s not won yet. That’s the objective, I won’t lie, but there’s a while to go."
Inter will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Napoli.
Further reading
- Inter warned off Kante & told to find a Goretzka
- Eriksen never 'wanted to escape' Inter
- 'Lukaku on same level as Mbappe, Haaland & Lewandowski'