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What's the story?
Real Madrid begin their La Liga title defence next week when they take on Deportivo. The Spanish giants ran away with the spoils last season under Zinedine Zidane, who will be keen on an encore.
With most other European superpowers focused on bolstering their squads, Real Madrid aren't too far behind. Having pursued Kylian Mbappe for the majority of the transfer window, Real Madrid, it would seem, are on the cusp of accepting that the teen sensation could move to Paris Saint-Germain instead.
In light of recent developments, the Los Blancos are allegedly turning their gaze towards their secondary target, Chelsea's Eden Hazard, as per reports in the Daily Star.
In case you didn't know...
Mbappe was linked with a sensational move to Real Madrid for most of this summer. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Paris Saint-Germain are now believed to be very close to signing the Frenchman, having just splurged north of €200 million on Neymar.
The 18-year-old is understood to prefer a move back to his hometown Paris, leaving Real Madrid hanging in limbo. The champions have allegedly wasted no time in turning to Hazard, who they've been linked with for quite some time now.
The heart of the matter
Hazard has admitted that playing for Real Madrid, albeit only in the distant future, would be a mouth-watering prospect. Both, Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez are said to be extremely fond of the Belgian and could push to make the deal happen before the window closes.
Perez had reportedly promised Madrid fans another galactico signing this summer. However, Mbappe is set to stun the world by snubbing the La Liga champions in favour of Paris Saint-Germain, compelling the Real Madrid chief to consider a move for Hazard yet again.
The 26-year-old was an instrumental part of Chelsea's English Premier League triumph last season as he found form that many believed was indeed gone. The charismatic midfielder netted 16 goals and assisted five more of Chelsea's 85 last season.
Antonio Conte has repeatedly told the world that Hazard is not for sale and that the 26-year old will remain at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future, but he will certainly face an uphill challenge in keeping Real Madrid at bay.
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Author's take
Hazard is by far one of the best footballers in the world right now. The 26-year-old is widely regarded as a potential Ballon d'Or winner in the future and is adored by millions around the globe.
Conte will be desperate to fight off Real Madrid in a Kloppesque way, in a bid to retain Hazard, who is considered to be the focal point of Chelsea's attack.
The last time Chelsea spiralled, they relied on the Belgian to lift them up. If Real Madrid successfully prise him away, the Blues could spiral once again into an abyss, one they might not be able to return from.
