What’s the story?
Real Madrid are ready to offload James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata to Chelsea, in a bid to see Premier League superstars Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois move to La Liga, according to a report in British news outlet, The Guardian. The move would see Real Madrid offer €70 million in addition to the €90 million valuation of James and Morata, which would effectively make Hazard and Courtois cost €160 million combined.
Previously
Real Madrid’s admiration for Eden Hazard has long been known, with current Los Blancos boss, Zinedine Zidane, who also happens to be Hazard’s childhood idol, praising the Belgian forward in 2015, saying “After Messi and Ronaldo, Hazard is my favourite player. It is spectacular to see him play.” Chelsea forward Diego Costa also recently cast doubt on the Belgian’s ability to resist Madrid.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: Hard for Eden Hazard to resist offer from Real Madrid, says Diego Costa
The heart of the matter
Florentino Perez is expected to win Real Madrid’s presidential elections in the summer, uncontested. Thus, he is keen on celebrating his victory with another Galactico signing, and considers Hazard the ideal target, despite the presence of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Also Read: 'Bale not a great player until he leaves Ronaldo and his gigantic ego'
Madrid view Hazard’s signing as preparation for a post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, given the Portuguese superstar’s age. They have been given hope by Hazard’s assertion last year, that he would only leave Chelsea after winning another Premier League title, which the Blues are on track to achieve this season.
Thibaut Courtois is also on Madrid’s radar, due to the poor form of Keylor Navas and David de Gea’s unavailability. Chelsea have yet to offer Courtois a new contract, which could see Madrid pounce, by offloading want-away stars James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata to Chelsea, especially since Antonio Conte is a known admirer of the pair – having signed Morata for Juventus, although he left soon after.
What’s next?
Chelsea will naturally be unwilling to let their stars leave, although the cash on offer could help the Blues balance their books a bit better – a trend they have been following in the last couple of seasons. Antonio Conte could be the perfect manager for both James and Morata – two players with the potential to explode into the best players in the world.
Author’s Take
You can never count out Florentino Perez when it comes to making a signing. The famously egotistical President of Real Madrid is already hurting after losing out on Paul Pogba to Manchester United last summer, and he will pull out all the stops to ensure that Eden Hazard plays in the famous white of Real Madrid.
