Achraf signed a two-season loan deal with Dortmund in 2018 and the Morocco international full-back has starred for the Bundesliga side.
The 21-year-old is set to leave Dortmund at season's end but not necessarily for a return to the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
"Real Madrid are the club I call home," Achraf, who has scored 10 goals during his time with Dortmund, told Telefoot. "I've really enjoyed myself there and played lots of games there.
"If Madrid want me to go back, I'll go back. And if not, I'll have to write the next chapter at another great club."
Achraf added: "[Madrid head coach Zinedine] Zidane is the man who gave me my chance and the confidence to be able to play professional football.
"I'm grateful to him for his faith in me and the way he has treated me. I'll always be grateful to him."
Reflecting on his decision to move to Dortmund, Achraf said: "When I stop and think, I realise that it was the best decision I could have made, because I'm playing and developing as a footballer, which is what I need to be doing."
Achraf and Dortmund are preparing for Wednesday's Champions League last-16 return leg away to Paris Saint-Germain.
Dortmund won the opening leg 2-1 thanks to Erling Haaland's second-half brace and Achraf is eyeing silverware.
"I hope we can achieve as much as possible; in the short term beat PSG, and in the longer term try to win a trophy like the Bundesliga or go as far as possible in the Champions League," said Achraf, who has scored seven goals in all competitions this season.
"Anything's possible. Hopefully we can go as far as possible and win it if we can. And if not, then come away with the feeling that we've done well and given our all."
The 21-year-old joined the Serie A side in July for a reported €40million from Spanish champions Real Madrid, signing a five-year contract.
The Spain-born Morocco international spent the past two seasons on loan at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, particularly impressing last term when deployed as a right-sided wing-back ahead of a three-man defence.
On top of an impressive haul of five goals, Hakimi also had 10 assists in the Bundesliga last season – the best of any defender.
Conte guided Inter to a second-place finish in his maiden campaign and Hakimi is licking his lips at the prospect at playing under the 51-year-old.
"I chose Inter because I think the coach's style is particularly suited to my way of playing and I can be of real help to this team," he said in a Q&A hosted on Inter's social media channels. "We'll try to achieve great results and certainly aim to win the Scudetto.
"Conte is a great coach, with a very competitive spirit. He has this extraordinary passion for football and transmits that to his players, fans, and everyone around the club. His motivation allows the side to be fired up for every game.
"I already played 3-5-2 at Borussia Dortmund. When the offer came, I thought this was a great opportunity for me to grow, as the fans here experience football in such a special way. I have joined a great club."
Hakimi had been at Madrid since 2006 and broke into the first-team squad in 2017-18, playing back-up to Dani Carvajal.
He believes his two-year spell in the Bundesliga improved him as a player and hopes the experience will help him navigate a more "tactical league".
"Playing in Germany allowed me to mature as a player, gain experience and confidence," he added. "It was a wonderful experience; now I will go into a more tactical league like Serie A.
"Our objective is to win the Scudetto, make the fans happy, then go forward in the Champions League and do even better than last season.
"I am here to give my best, so we'll do great things together and try to win some trophies!"
Inter confirmed the signing of Dumfries shortly after revealing striker Edin Dzeko had completed his switch from domestic rivals Roma.
Dumfries, who was impressive for the Netherlands at Euro 2020, scoring twice during the tournament, is believed to have been purchased for a fee of €12.5million plus add ons.
The 25-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the Nerazzurri.
Dumfries appears set to be the like-for-like replacement for Achraf Hakimi, who was sold to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the transfer window.
Hakimi's sale was required as Inter looked to ease financial difficulties. The club have also seen star striker Romelu Lukaku depart to Chelsea for a reported £97.5m (€115m).
"The feeling is amazing," Dumfries told Inter TV. "I'm very happy to join the champions of Italy. It's a big opportunity for me and I'm happy to be here.
"I'm a wide defender and I like to attack a lot. I think I'll fit in at Inter as they play with five at the back, as I have done with the Netherlands.
"I know which Dutch players have played here before. It's an honour to join them on the list.
"I hope we can have a great season, maybe win another league title and do well in the Champions League. I can't wait to get started."
Dumfries excelled for Frank de Boer's Netherlands team at Euro 2020, despite the Oranje's disappointing exit to the Czech Republic in the round of 16.
Playing as a wing-back, Dumfries started all four of his country's matches, playing 315 minutes in total.
Inter look set to continue with a back three under new boss Simone Inzaghi, who used a similar system at Lazio, meaning Dumfries will likely slot straight into the role that Hakimi occupied last term.
Dumfries has big shoes to fill, though. Hakimi played in 37 league matches in 2020-21, with only Lautaro Martinez (38) featuring more in the top flight under Antonio Conte during the campaign.
Hakimi scored seven times, a total only bettered in Inter's ranks by Martinez (17) and Lukaku (24), while he also provided eight assists.
His crossing was a particular threat, registering an accuracy of 25.52 per cent from 145 crosses from open play. Based on Euro 2020, this is something that Dumfries will need to improve, given none of his six crosses were classed as successful.
However, his presence in the area was often enough to help the Netherlands break down defences, and only Memphis Depay (24) had more touches in the opposition box than Dumfries.
Dumfries also contested (58) and won (28) more duels than any other Dutch player at Euro 2020, recording a success rate of 48.28 per cent, a figure that is not dissimilar to Hakimi's rate of 50.05 per cent from 333 duels in Serie A last season.
The 34-year-old former Morocco captain played a part in five consecutive league championship wins, firstly when landing two Bundesliga titles at Bayern in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
He joined Juventus from the German giants and featured in each of the next three campaigns as the Turin giants mopped up successive Scudetto triumphs, also leading his country at the 2018 World Cup.
Benatia was born in France and began his career in the Marseille youth set-up. He shot to prominence after a move from Clermont to Udinese in 2010, which paved the way for a switch to Roma in 2013, and one year later he was prised away by Bayern amid a scramble by elite clubs for his services.
After a double-winning second season, Benatia moved on to Juventus in 2016, before leaving the Bianconeri to sign for Qatari outfit Al-Duhail midway through the 2018-19 season.
While at Juventus, he was part of the squad that reached the 2016-17 Champions League final and also won the Coppa Italia twice. Most recently he has been with Turkish Super Lig side Fatih Karagumruk, who said Benatia had retired because of injury.
Responding to Benatia's announcement, which he revealed on Instagram, Juventus striker Paulo Dybala sent a heart emoji to his former team-mate. Ex-Bayern winger Franck Ribery did likewise, with current Juve full-back Juan Cuadrado and former favourite Sami Khedira also among those that sent greetings.
Blaise Matuidi, the former Juventus and France midfield general, wrote: "What a career, my brother. I remember those days at [French national football centre] Clairefontaine where we began to dream of being a professional footballer, but by dint of work you did much more than that. Incredible clubs, captain of a nation and having won a good number of titles, you can only be proud brother."
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly joined in the praise, writing: "Bravo capitano. Great man, great career, very good player and finally an example."
Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi praised his former national team skipper, with the message: "Capitanooo. Good luck in your new stage big bro."
Announcing his decision to retire, Benatia said: "From a young age I had only one dream, to become a professional footballer. To get there, I had to force myself to work hard, make sacrifices, but above all set new goals at each stage of my career.
"This job has also allowed me to defend and represent my country, Morocco, with whom I have experienced unforgettable moments... in particular the 2018 World Cup."
Borussia Dortmund duo Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi displayed 'Justice for George Floyd' messages when celebrating goals during a Bundesliga victory over Paderborn on Sunday. Schalke's Weston McKennie sported an armband with the same message and Borussia Monchengladbach attacker Marcus Thuram took a knee after scoring against Union Berlin.
Their actions were a show of support for the protests that have come in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis last week, sparking demonstrations and riots in the United States and beyond.
Sancho was booked for removing his shirt, while Hakimi, McKennie and Thuram received no on-field punishment in relation to their tributes. However, the German Football Association (DFB) said it would examine the incidents to see whether sanctions were necessary.
With LaLiga, Serie A and the Premier League all due to restart this month, FIFA has urged competition organisers to take context into account when applying the rules.
"FIFA fully understands the depth of sentiment and concerns expressed by many footballers in light of the tragic circumstances of the George Floyd case," an official statement read.
"FIFA had repeatedly expressed itself to be resolutely against racism and discrimination of any kind and recently strengthened its own disciplinary rules with a view to helping to eradicate such behaviours.
"FIFA itself has promoted many anti-racism campaigns which frequently carry the anti-racism message at matches organised under its own auspices.
"The application of the Laws of the Game approved by the IFAB [International Football Association Board] is left for the competition organisers which should use common sense and have in consideration the context surrounding the events."
The DFB's sporting director of elite referees Michael Frohlich suggested on Monday it is not easy for officials to apply such guidelines during a game.
"It is hardly possible for referees to register political, religious or personal slogans, messages or images during a game," said Frohlich. "It isn't the same as referees examining that the equipment's colours match, for example.
"Should the referee notice a political or religious message on the player's equipment, they make a note of it in their match report.
"An exception is when the player's actions have an immediate impact on the game, such as delaying the restart of play, which the referee can punish with a yellow card."
DFB vice-president Rainer Koch said: "As is the case internationally, the game itself should remain free of political statements or messages of any kind; the fair and competitive action on the pitch should be the focus.
"There are of course opportunities before and after the match for these kinds of things. We'll have to wait and see whether sanctions are required in these instances."
The Morocco international only arrived in Italy from Real Madrid a year ago and played in 37 of 38 games as his new team claimed the Serie A title under Antonio Conte.
However, with the Italian champions now keen to balance the books, and Conte no longer in charge, they have agreed to sell one of their prized assets in a deal rumoured to be worth around €70million.
Marotta admits losing a player who scored seven league goals from wing-back last term is regrettable, but he believes the transfer fee will go a long way to easing the club's financial concerns.
"Piero Ausilio (sporting director at Inter) was working on it, we are in the conclusive stages. There are some formalities to be completed, but I think within a day or so we can conclude it," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"Obviously, this is a painful moment for us, but I am an administrator who must guarantee the economic sustainability of the club during a difficult time for the world of football in general.
"Once the Hakimi deal is concluded, it will allow us to have a bit of breathing room and we really hope that we will no longer need to sell any other big players, as we want to maintain most of the squad that won the Scudetto."
As well as offering plenty of threat going forward, Hakimi made more tackles (38) than any other Inter defender last season - a fact that underlines how difficult he will be to replace.
Arsenal's Hector Bellerin and Davide Zappacosta of Chelsea have emerged as potential arrivals, but Marotta insisted patience will be key as Inter plan their next move.
"We are a team, working with the coach and various collaborators," he added.
"We must have patience to make the most of opportunities on the transfer market. I don’t expect the big clubs to make many large transfers."
Achraf Hakimi's 20th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card followed Enzo Le Fee's surprise opener for the visitors at Parc des Princes.
Although Kylian Mbappe brought Christophe Galtier's side back on equal terms with a controversial finish, goals from Darlin Yongwa and Bamba Dieng handed the hosts another defeat.
It is their third in sixth league matches, although PSG retain a healthy gap to second-placed Marseille, eight points back with a single game in hand.
The signs of a potential PSG implosion were there inside the opening exchanges when Hakimi clattered through Romain Faivre with his studs.
It went from bad to worse for the home side when Le Fee smashed in from six yards following a cut-back, before Hakimi got his marching orders after he lunged in on Yongwa's foot.
Mbappe restored parity with a moment of bizarre opportunity after goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo mistakenly thought he had a free-kick and dropped the ball in his box, allowing the striker to pounce on an open net.
But Lorient would not be kept level for long, and when a defensive block inside the PSG box went awry, Yongwa was there to pounce and claim back the lead.
Despite the man disadvantage, PSG pushed hard for another equaliser after the break, with Sergio Ramos inching a header over before the hour mark.
Lorient picked them off on the counter, however. After Dieng saw a tap-in chalked off for offside late on, he belatedly got his goal after seizing on a long ball for a breakaway goal.
