A staple in the midfield for Chelsea for the past five years has been Eden Hazard. The 26 year-old Belgian international has had a great season under first year coach Antonio Conte, causing great speculation as to whether Hazard will stay in London another season or if he will move to the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid have voiced noticeable interest in the star player, as they are reportedly ready to make a move for Hazard containing a possible player swap plus cash deal.
Hazard has been on the rumor list for Real for over a year now as the star midfielder has returned to his goal scoring, and playmaking form as his club, Chelsea, have risen to the top of the Premier League table and sit in first place thanks to the performances this season from Hazard and recent arrival midfielder N’Golo Kante.
Hazard has spent 5 years with the team in central London, but he continues to perform well, making the rumors of a departure from the club maybe a bit of a stretch.
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What makes the deal seem possible, is Real Madrid are willing to offer up young striker Alvaro Morata and a significant amount of cash to acquire the Belgian’s signature. Chelsea have also voiced their interest in acquiring either Isco or James Rodriguez who have both reportedly been eyeing a move out of Madrid.
Although a cash and player off to Chelsea makes sense, I don’ think president Florentino Perez or manager Zinedine Zidane need or want to add another midfielder to the squad. There is already an excess of talent in this area and the team should focus more on bolstering their defense.
Don’t get me wrong, Hazard is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in Europe, but Real Madrid already have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Marco Asensio, and for the time being, Isco and James.
If there is going to be a big move made this summer by the Real Madrid front office, I think it will be to bolster the attack or the defense (this includes goalkeeper) rather than the midfield.
While the thought of Hazard joining Los Blancos is very appealing, it’s not the right move for a Real Madrid team that is already strongest in the midfield. Not to mention the amount the club would have to give Chelsea would require a lot, even for Real Madrid’s standards.