Real Madrid have reportedly put their pursuit of Eden Hazard on hold until the summer, with the club set to prioritise a move for Mauro Icardi instead.
According to Diario Gol, Real’s priority for the January transfer window is to bring in a new striker, and their pursuit of Hazard has been ‘delayed’ until the summer window.
The report also notes that current Real manager Santiago Solari gave club president Florentino Perez the green light regarding Icardi’s potential arrival in the Spanish capital, and that Real are going to try and use Luka Modric as a makeweight in their offer for Icardi.
Despite Hazard’s quality, Real benching their move for him so they can focus on bringing in a new striker is a smart decision for the Spanish giants to make, especially when you consider how much Karim Benzema has declined in recent years.
The Frenchman has only managed to score a total of 16 league goals in his last two full La Liga campaigns, a total that just isn’t good enough for a player representing a team like Real Madrid.
Icardi is one of the best forwards in world football, and he may be the player that ends up replacing the goal threat that Cristiano Ronaldo brought to the club before leaving to join Juventus this past summer.
The Argentine has scored 117 goals in 199 Serie A appearances so far, a very impressive record that any player would be proud to call their own.
Real putting their pursuit of Hazard on hold might be a risky move to make, but if they do manage to land Icardi, it’ll be a risk that was worth them taking.
