Reports: Former FC Barcelona superstar holds the key to Eden Hazard's Chelsea future
What's the story?
According to the reputed English media outlet, Times, Real Madrid have set their sights on Brazilian talisman, Neymar Jr, with the view of signing him in the approaching summer. The 27-year-old left FC Barcelona to join Ligue 1 giants, Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a reported fee of £200 million but has always been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
The 13-time European champions would have to pay a transfer fee in a similar region to secure the services of the former Barcelona forward. The signing of Neymar Jr would mean that the Los Blancos would require another €100 million or so, to land Eden Hazard at the Santiago Bernabeu and that seems unlikely to happen.
In case you didn't know..
Since moving to the French capital, the Brazilian winger has scored 48 goals and set up another 27 in just 53 appearances made for the Ligue 1 giants so far. Continuing his splendid form in front of the goal, the 27-year-old was involved in 31 goals this season before being sidelined due to a foot injury sustained in January.
On the other hand, Eden Hazard, who has made his desires to represent the royal whites clear openly, is desperately waiting for the Los Blancos to make a transfer approach at the end of the season.
The Blues, who've rejected Real Madrid's bid earlier, will be forced to sell the Belgian at a cut-price as his current contract will expire next summer. Alongside that, the World Cup 2018 silver-ball winner would be willing to force an exit if Los Blancos come calling.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid's all-time goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, left the club last summer after spending nine seasons at the Bernabeu. Since then, the 33-time La Liga champions have struggled to score goals. Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Isco, Lucas Vasquez and the new signing, Mariano Diaz all failed to compensate Ronaldo's staggering figures after his departure. Though Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema have formed a convincing duo lately, the two can't score enough to win the titles.
After finding themselves 12 points adrift leaders, Barcelona, Los Blancos are clearly out of the La Liga title race. A semi-final 4-1 (on aggregate) defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals, also showed them the way out of Copa Del Rey. As of now, the UEFA Champions League remains the only title hope for the European giants - somewhere they can't be ruled out, no matter how poor they are performing in the domestic competitions.
Florentino Perez is desperately searching for a top-notch forward who can lead the flow of goals at the Bernabeu. It remains to see whether they opt for the Brazilian or the Belgian winger.
What's next?
Real Madrid faces Ajax in the second leg of Champions League round of 16 clashes. Their skipper, Sergio Ramos, is set to miss the clash at Santiago Bernabeu due to suspension.
Following the European night in the Spanish capital, Los Vikingos will look to return to winning ways in La Liga when they face Real Valladolid by the weekend.