Achraf Hakimi's lawyer insists rape allegation is 'false' with PSG star 'available to authorities'

Achraf Hakimi's lawyer has claimed a rape allegation against the Paris Saint-Germain star is 'false'.

A 24-year-old woman has accused the Moroccan international, 24, of raping her at his home in a Paris suburb on February 25.

French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into the allegation on Monday, said a source close to the case.

According to the source, confirming an article in Le Parisien newspaper, the woman reported the incident at a police station on Sunday but did not file charges.

Hakimi's lawyer Fanny Colin said: 'The accusations are false. He is calm and is making himself available to the authorities.'

'The club supports the player, who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system,' PSG said in a statement. 'Paris St-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.'

The public prosecutor's office handling the case in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris, declined to comment.

However, they complained that 'information already made public' in the media 'undermined the necessary investigations to find out the truth'.

The report detailing the charges claims Hakimi was only told about the probe being opened 90 minutes before the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Paris on Monday evening.

His performances saw him honoured at the ceremony, where he was named in the FIFPro men's world team of the year.

Hakimi stood on stage to collect the award alongside other winners including his PSG team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Hakimi was also part of the Morocco team that finished fourth in the World Cup in Qatar.

Born in Madrid, his spot-kick secured a 3-0 penalty shoot-out win against Spain to steer Morocco into uncharted territory. The north African side went on to become the first from the Arab world to reach the last four at a World Cup.