Newcastle United are reportedly ready to make a bid for Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard this January.
The Magpies, under new ownership since their recent takeover, are supposedly prepared to pay around €35million for Hazard, though Real Madrid want more like €50m for the Belgium international, according to Todo Fichajes.
Hazard was a star player during his time at Chelsea, and if he could get back to that kind of form with a return to the Premier League he’d surely be a fine signing for Newcastle.
That’s a big if, however, with Hazard proving a spectacular flop in his time at the Bernabeu, scoring just four La Liga goals in his two and a half years at the club so far.
It’s easy to see why Newcastle might be attracted to bringing in a big name like this to excite their fans and show the ambition of their new owners, but there’s surely smarter business to be done than this hugely risky deal.
Newcastle have money to burn so might not feel it’s a big deal to bring in Hazard for a big fee even when he looks past his best, but it still seems odd to go for him when they could surely also afford someone who’s currently in much better form.