Real Madrid have made an initial approach for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, in the first step of an ambitious summer overhaul of their squad.
There is a strong belief at the Bernabeu that the Belgian now wants to leave Stamford Bridge this year, with the re-appointment of his player idol Zinedine Zidane as Madrid manager only offering further motivation. Hazard has long wanted to work with the French legend.
Complicating the issue is Chelsea’s transfer ban, pending an appeal.
The feeling is they would not want to sell if they cannot sign, but the risk would then be that they lose Hazard for nothing the following year, since he has shown no willingness to sign a new contract. His current deal is up in 2020, when he can go for free.
The Bernabeu hierarchy hope that, if a Chelsea transfer ban does stand for the summer, the club would see the business sense in selling Hazard then.
He would be valued at £100m, which is also what Madrid would hope to pay for Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen, in a double Premier League move that completely revamps their forward line.
There is an expectation that Madrid would sign another star after that, with one of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe the primary target.
