Achraf Hakimi has already told Man City that the right-back they now want to sign is a ‘great player’

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With Kyle Walker signing for Burnley, Rico Lewis is the closest thing to a natural right-back in Manchester City’s squad.

Lewis views himself as a midfielder, however and Matheus Nunes, who was converted into a right-back last season has already usurped him as Pep Guardiola’s favoured option.

Newcastle United wish to keep Tino Livramento, who has been City’s dream target this summer for a while.

However, Newcastle could demand £80 million for Livramento as a potential fee that would convince them to change their minds.

Achraf Hakimi called Man City target Denzel Dumfries a ‘great player’

Naturally, the Sky Blues have been scouring European football to find alternatives to the Englishman, with Denzel Dumfries catching Manchester City’s eye.

City are believed to be in talks with Inter Milan to sign Dumfries, who could leave the Serie A as he has a release clause until mid-July worth £21.5 million.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Achraf Hakimi sang his former teammate’s praises in May, saying: “I’ve seen that he scores a lot, but he plays in a back five, when I was at Inter, I remember it was easier.”

Hakimi also noted that Dumfries is much better than him in the air, which is great news for Manchester City: “He’s a great player, one thing I like about him is that he’s very good in the air while I’m nothing.”

Denzel Dumfries stats compared to Achraf Hakimi

Considering the Moroccan international is arguably the most in-form right-back in world football currently, his seal of approval emphasises how brilliant a player the Dutchman is.

As Manchester City will be doing their due diligence in their pursuit to sign a right-back, they would be keen to discover how Dumfries’ stats compare to elite full-backs like Hakimi.

Dumfries has managed to score the same number of goals as Hakimi (11), albeit registering nine less assists.

Ultimately, the former Real Madrid defender is playing in a much superior Paris Saint-Germain side, which makes the City target’s numbers all the more impressive.