Real Madrid Transfer News Roundup: Los Blancos identify Brazilian midfielder as Casemiro replacement; club believe Eden Hazard is past his prime, and more - August 29, 2022

Real Madrid secured a 3-1 win over Espanyol on Sunday to continue their superb start to the season. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring, and Karim Benzema scored a late brace to wrestle a win away at the Cornella-El Prat.

Meanwhile, Los Blancos have identified a Brazilian midfielder as a replacement for Casemiro. Elsewhere, the La Liga giants believe Eden Hazard is past his prime.

On that note, here's a look at the key Real Madrid transfer stories as on August 29, 2022:

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Real Madrid identify Joao Gomes as Casemiro replacement

Real Madrid have identified Joao Gomes as a possible replacement for Casemiro, who has joined Manchester United, according to Defensa Central via The Hard Tackle.

The 21-year-old Flamengo midfielder has been quite impressive recently - making over 100 appearances for his club - and has admirers at the Santiago Bernabeu. The La Liga giants are in the market for a replacement for Casemiro, despite having Aurelien Tchouameni in their ranks.

With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the twilight of their career, Los Blancos are looking to bolster their options in midfield. The Spanish giants are in no hurry to sign Gomes, though. They could dive for the player either this week or next summer.

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Los Blancos believe Eden Hazard is past his prime

Eden Hazard is running out of time to prove himself at the Santiago Bernabeu/

Real Madrid believe Eden Hazard is past his prime, according to Marca via Madrid Universal.

The Belgian arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu with a lot of hype in 2019 but has so far failed to deliver. A meagre return of just six goals in his three seasons at the club paints a poor picture of the player who scored goals for fun at Chelsea.

Hazard, 31, promised to return to his best this season but is yet to live up to his words. The club hierarchy appreciates his efforts but acknowledges that he's no longer the player who once lit up the Premier League.

Ancelotti shares this view, and as such chances have been hard to come by for the Belgian this season. Hazard remains determined to come good and is unwilling to consider any offers to leave the club this summer. Interestingly, there haven't been any offers of note for the player either.

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Carlo Ancelotti opens up on Espanyol win

Carlo Ancelotti believes his team's intensity helped them secure a hard-fought win over Espanyol on Sunday. Madrid had to rely on two late strikes from Benzema to bail them out on the night.

Speaking after the game, as cited by Managing Madrid, Ancelotti said that his team had to strive hard after lowering their intensity mid-game.

"We started very well, scoring early on. But then we lowered our intensity for a while. We were slow. It became difficult once they equalised, with a lot of interruptions in the game. It became an end-to-end match, and that was good for us," said Ancelotti

He continued:

"We won the match because we had more energy on the pitch than the opponent. We have the energy of Camavinga, Rodrygo, Valverde or Vinícius.”

The Italian added that simply relying on young blood to deliver in every game might not work.

"Each match is different. If we’d started today with Camavinga and Rodrygo, we might not have enjoyed the control of the first hour. If we’d substituted on Kroos and Modric, maybe we wouldn’t have had energy at the end. It’s a gamble. Sometimes it comes off; sometimes it doesn’t.”

Real Madrid are currently atop La Liga after three games, having won four games across competitions this season.