As the 2016/2017 football season draws to an end, lots of speculations about players moving from one club to the other starts emanating. Some have been there since the beginning of the season or even since the last transfer window while others are just new speculations. However, speculative journalists will have to earn their pay so we are not surprised at these. But some of the stories could be really ridiculous.
One of the latest of such news, albeit a long lasting one is that of Chelsea star Eden Hazard’s purported move to Real Madrid. Of course, we all know Madrid is a team that gets every player they want because of their financial power. But one wonders why they’ve not snatched the Barcelona star that has been their nemesis in recent years. Chelsea is not a team to intimidate with money as they have it in good quantity. The premier league football betting odds on him leaving this summer will be very high because it is very much unlikely.
But the rumours have refused to go away and people are beginning to believe that Madrid will place a ridiculously huge bid for Hazard next season. When Mourinho was at Chelsea last 2 years, he had to tackle such rumours by positing that Hazard and Oscar would cost any team that wants them 100 million pounds each. That is about 120 million Euros each. Hazard’s worth has obviously increased with his exploits this season. So if Real were to be serious, then they should be preparing a bid in the region of 150 to 200 million pounds.
Zidane on Hazard
This rumour was rekindled when Zidane described him as the third best footballer in the world after Messi and Ronaldo. This was even when he was undergoing a difficult period with the club last season. During his troubled times, Zidane said he has no doubt in his mind that the chap, who is his favourite player after Messi and Ronaldo will come out of the period a better player. For him, watching him play is ecstatic. When questioned about Madrid signing him, he answered that he loves the player.
Changes in the Squad
The statement above, however, is not the crux of the matter, but the changes Zidane made in his Real Madrid team are. Ronaldo who has played on the same right wing as Hazard for his entire career was moved to the number 9 position by Zidane. This made him the central striker and he has been delivering since then. The speculation is that these changes were made so that Hazard will come and fill in the right wing position, which is his signature wing.
Hazard on Zidane
Hazard on his own has said that he consider Zidane, Ronaldinho and Riquelme as artists. He said in many interviews that one of his boyhood heroes and football idols was Zidane. He admired them because of their passes, movements on the pitch and many other things. He compared himself to Zidane and concluded that he is not an artist like Zidane who does amazing things with the ball.
Benzema on Hazard
However, the speculation grew even more intense when Real Madrid players started talking about it. Karim Benzema who is one of the forwards in the Blancos team has also come out to say that he will be happy to see Hazard in the Real Madrid squad next season. For him, the guy is a wonderful player that surprises people. He doesn’t know if there are talks about him coming to Madrid, but he believes getting Hazard to Madrid will be a great move.
So, would Real Madrid make the move? That is the question on everyone’s lips.
