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What's the story?
Manchester United need inspiration.
Real Madrid need inspiration.
That means only one thing - someone out there is going to make a bucket-load of money in the next couple of transfer windows.
With their respective title challenges already having sailed farther away than they would have ever liked, United and Madrid are both in the market for the kind of player that can inspire their entire squad... despite having a few of that ilk already... and those kinds of players do not come cheap.
In fact, if the Sun are to be believed - and there's no particular reason you should - United are all set to head-to-head with Madrid for the signing of Chelsea's Eden Hazard, and that this move would set them back a meaty £90 million, or €102 million for you Europhiles.
In case you didn't know
Eden Hazard has reportedly turned down a new £300,000-a-week four-year deal offered to him by Chelsea to keep him at Stamford Bridge with the Belgian continuously dropping hints that he wants to go play under his childhood idol, the great Zinedine Zidane with reports in Spain claiming that he's on his way to the Bernabeu post the World Cup.
The heart of the matter
Manchester United, though, want to spoil Madrid's party - and are willing to go all out and raid their manager's former club once again. They are on the lookout for a playmaker who can influence matches on his own to complement the genius of Paul Pogba deeper in midfield.
Video
Eden Hazard doing things that at times only Eden Hazard can do:
Lad is the most naturally gifted player in the Premier League at the moment isn't he?
Author's Take
While it is true that Hazard was the main inspiration behind Mourinho's brilliant Chelsea side of 2014-15 which won the league at a canter, it is also true that the strain between the two in the following season got Mourinho the sack - in fact, Hazard was an unused sub in Mourinho's last ever game for Chelsea!
This evident lack of chemistry - coupled with the fact that Chelsea really ought not to sell to direct title rivals anymore - should make it easier for Madrid to win this particular race.
