Hunting Hazard
Real Madrid have made their “first official bid for Eden Hazard” but Chelsea have knocked back the Spanish giants, according to reports.
With Zinedine Zidane back at the Bernabeu helm, Real are already rebuilding for next season - and Hazard is near the top of the Frenchman’s wish list, says The Sun. The Galacticos have reportedly tried to open negotiations for the £100m-rated Belgian but have been met with the cold shoulder from Stamford Bridge bosses.
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Nonetheless, Real believe they will get their man in the end, with Chelsea needing to sell in the next few months or “risk losing their talisman for nothing next year” when the 28-year-old’s contract expires, the newspaper adds.
If Chelsea fail to sell Hazard or sign him to a new deal, he could leave for Madrid on a free transfer come 2020.
Neymar an option
Meanwhile, the Daily Record says that Real Madrid’s pursuit of Hazard is “additional, rather than as an alternative”, to the club’s goal of luring Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.
Real president Florentino Perez has long had his eye on the Brazilian ace, and according to the newspaper, Zidane “has given his assent to both deals and Neymar would also welcome it”.
PSG have always said they have no intention of offloading Neymar, who arrived from Barcelona in a world-record £200m deal in the summer of 2017. However, that resolve could weaken if, as the Record claims, Madrid is prepared to table an offer in the region of €350m (£299.4m).
For his part, 27-year-old Neymar reportedly wants Hazard to join him at Madrid because he does not relish “the pressure of being the only high-profile recruit”.
United snub Bale
The future of Gareth Bale continues to be a matter of intense speculation, but Metro says one avenue has definitely been closed off - the one to Old Trafford.
The paper claims that the Manchester United board have binned the idea of moving for 29-year-old Bale, “due to the prospective cost of the deal and the Welshman’s age”.
Instead, caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will only sign youngsters in the coming year as he looks to reshape United in his own image, Metro claims.
Top of the Norwegian’s list is Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, 18, who is expected to move to United this summer in an £80m deal.
