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Defending Spanish champions Real Madrid prepare to welcome Getafe to the capital club in just a matter of hours. Their LaLiga Santander campaign has been rocky, to say the least, having already dropped points on eight separate occasions this season. Real Madrid will hope to string together a set of wins that could see them go above Barcelona and closer to league leaders Atletico Madrid.
Ahead of their game against Getafe, here is some of the latest Real Madrid news.
Raphael Varane could be sold for €50m
Real Madrid superstar Raphael Varane could be set for a shock exit from the club, as per reports. The Frenchman, who has been part of the Blancos spine that went on to win three consecutive UEFA Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles, is into the final year and a half of his current contract in Spain.
The report suggests that should Varane enter the final year of his deal without agreeing an extension, Real Madrid could cash in on him. There is no shortage of admirers for the FIFA World Cup winner, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Juventus, and other high-profile clubs interested in signing him should he become available.
Real Madrid will sign one of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are two names that Real Madrid have beetn strongly linked with moves for in the recent past. The Norwegian is a relatively recent addition to their star-studded wish list, while the Frenchman is a subject of long-standing interest from the Spanish champions.
A new report from Spain claims that Real Madrid have a firm idea of their transfer targets and will definitely sign one of the two young superstars this summer. Haaland reportedly has a release clause of €75m in his contract which becomes active in 2022, but Manchester City are believed to be keen enough to test the waters with a much larger bid come summer.
Mbappe's situation, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated due to his contract expiring in just under 18 months. If he signs a new deal in Paris it could potentially have a 'Real Madrid clause' entered into it, but there is a possibility of him joining for a fee in excess of €100m this summer as well.
Eden Hazard's shock admission about Arsenal
In what may come as a surprisng piece of news to the Blancos and Blues faithful, star man Eden Hazard has admitted to admiring Arsenal while growing up. The Belgian spent seven successful years at Chelsea before becoming Real Madrid's most expensive signing in their history, but has endured a torrid time in Spain due to injuries.
Speaking on the players he admired growing up, Hazard admitted that he 'liked' Arsenal a lot due to their French contingent. He explained;
"When I was little the team I watched the most was the French national team. For me, the players I looked up to were Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. It’s difficult for me to admit because of my relationship with Chelsea, but I really liked the Arsenal team at the time. They had players like Robert Pires, [Sylvain] Wiltord and [Patrick] Vieira, so it was mainly French players that I followed growing up."
Hazard is currently sidelined due to injury, and is not expected to return for another 4-6 weeks, as per reports.
