It looks as though Real Madrid are stepping up their efforts to seal the transfer of Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, according to latest reports in Spain.
This long-running transfer saga may finally be nearing a conclusion as Don Balon confidently state that Real have prepared an improved bid of around £116million for Hazard in order to bring him to the Bernabeu this January, with fresh negotiations taking place in the last 24 hours.
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This seems hugely ambitious from the Spanish giants, with Chelsea surely unlikely to allow the Belgium international to leave Stamford Bridge in the middle of the season.
However, the Blues are not in the strongest position as Hazard’s current contract is due to expire at the end of next season.
A report from BBC Sport earlier this season suggested the 28-year-old was torn over signing a new contract with Chelsea, with a move to Madrid described as a ‘dream’ for him.
With seemingly little progress made since then, it could well be that we’ll see some movement soon as CFC won’t want to lose Hazard on a free transfer.
£116m for a player this close to the end of his deal could actually be decent business – the only problem is that a January exit doesn’t leave them much time to find a replacement.
Hazard seems an ideal buy for Los Blancos right now after their struggles since selling Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
“Real Madrid is the best club in the world,” Hazard was quoted by ESPN earlier this season. “I don’t want to lie, it is my dream since I was a kid.
“We will see. I don’t want to talk about this every day. I don’t have time, but we will talk about my future soon.”