An exciting Eden Hazard swap deal for Real Madrid to consider

Real Madrid registered a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao to end 2021 at the top of La Liga, eight points above Sevilla, 17 above Atletico and 18 above Barcelona, having played a game more than each of those three teams. But, there were some negatives from that game as well, most notably, the performance of Eden Hazard.

Hazard had a horrible game vs Athletic Bilbao. He had a few really weird giveaways, he lacked the confidence to take shots from good angles, and just wasn’t able to do anything noteworthy in the attacking third. All in all, after playing almost two full games, which amounts to almost four halves of football, the Belgian had only one decent or good half, which is not great for someone who has already lost his place in the starting XI.

This was Hazard’s time to show that he still can be productive for Real Madrid, but he just didn’t have that impact. Now that Rodrygo has tested negative for COVID, combined with the fact that most Real Madrid players who are out will be back on the pitch after the break, it would be tough for Hazard to get minutes again.

Now, there is a report from MARCA that talks about something Hazard might genuinely be interested in. According to the report, Real Madrid are interested in the signing of Jonathan David, and Lille would not mind bringing Hazard back into their team.

A Jonathan David-Eden Hazard swap deal could work out for both Real Madrid and Lille

In the report, they mention a quote from David’s agent Nick Mavromaras, talking about how this season would be the Canadian’s last at Lille, and that he would be interested in playing in England or Spain next season. Apparently, Carlo Ancelotti also wants David at Real Madrid and would love to use his pace and instincts to exploit teams in Europe. It also says in the report that Lille would like to have Hazard back at the club, and if there are any negotiations, the player could be included in the deal.

As we know, Real Madrid are paying Eden Hazard a lot of money but he hasn’t really been worth it. Injuries have hampered his career more than we thought and with the kind of system that Real Madrid play, it’s tough to see him become a starter again. However, Lille was the club that brought the Belgian into the limelight, and it would make sense for him to go back and enjoy playing regular football once again. Lille are currently 8th in Ligue 1 standings and having Hazard could certainly improve their roster next season.

I think Hazard would have much more freedom to operate freely, just like he did at Chelsea, and even though the defensive woes of Ligue 1 teams are often blown out of proportion, it’ll still be comparatively easier for Hazard to have an impact there because he will be able to use his technical abilities more freely, and would generally be free of most of his defensive duties as long as he can provide good offensive output.

I think that if negotiations do start, the main thing would be the financial side of things, and Hazard would need to realise that he won’t be able to earn the same amount of money at Lille that he did at Real simply because Lille aren’t the club Real Madrid are and that Hazard himself isn’t the player he once was.

If we look at the other side, Ancelotti reportedly really likes David and he would love to have him in the team. Of course, he won’t immediately become a starter but he could be a great alternative in case Real Madrid are not able to compete with Manchester City and other top clubs for the signature of Erling Haaland. The Canadian forward is tall, has good technical ability, is really fast and would fit really well at Real Madrid if this move does happen at some point.

I think that Lille might ask for more than just Eden Hazard, so Madrid might have to add some sort of transfer fee into the deal, which is fair when you look at the player Los Blancos would be getting. David is very talented and I think he’d be worth the extra money if this deal does happen.