Real Madrid News
Arsenal interested in signing €130 million Real Madrid flop, club optimistic about move
As Real Madrid seem set to announce a new set of marquee signings in June, fans might be tempted to go back and look at how the last marquee signing — Eden Hazard — fared at the club.
Eden Hazard was expected to be the next big name for Los Blancos after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
The Chelsea star was one of the best players in the world at the time of his transfer, scoring 16 goals and providing 15 assists in the 2018-19 Premier League season.
Since then, his decline has been exponential. He has been dealing with injuries since his move, and has fallen out of the Real Madrid pecking order with Vinicius Jr. and Marco Asensio preferred over him.
Now that Kylian Mbappe and possibly Erling Haaland are arriving, there is no longer any space for the Belgian in the team.
According to reports from Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato, Arsenal are interested in signing the winger on loan with an option to buy. The Premier League side met with the player’s entourage in London earlier this week and are optimistic about the move.
Mikel Arteta’s side have found momentum in recent months, winning six of their last eight games across all competitions. They are favourites to finish in the top four, and their upward curve could tempt Hazard to consider a move back to England.
Emil Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli currently compete for a starting spot on the left wing and will be Hazard’s biggest hurdles should he join Arsenal.
In 17 La Liga appearances this season, the 31-year-old has only one assist to his name. He has failed to find the back of the net in the league and averages less than one shot per game.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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