Real Madrid News
Out-of-favour Real Madrid winger will discuss his future at the club next month
It has been a difficult road for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. Dubbed the next Galactico when he arrived from Chelsea in a deal worth €115 million in 2019, the Belgian has struggled to live up to the billing.
Relentless injury problems, fitness issues, and a lack of confidence have dominated his stint at the Santiago Bernabeu thus far, relegating him to a mere squad player role.
The winger has found himself behind Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes, Marco Asensio and Federico Valverde in the pecking order this season and has just played a measly seven matches across all competitions.
Given his lack of effectiveness and impact, The Athletic claims that Real Madrid have tried to offload him in each of the last four transfer windows from the summer of 2021 to the ongoing winter window of 2023.
However, they understand that a sale or even a loan exit this month is unlikely as the player is reluctant to leave mid-season. But an exit could be on the cards come the end of the season, with the Belgian himself admitting as much in an interview in the recent past.
Now, the aforementioned report from The Athletic is claiming that Hazard will sit down and discuss his future with his two agents, who will be visiting him in Madrid next month.
There have been speculations about a return to Chelsea and a switch to Newcastle United in the past, but the report clarifies that there is no truth to any of those claims and none of it came from the player or his representatives.
Hazard is on a massive contract at Real Madrid, pocketing around €15 million net per season, including image rights and bonuses. But, given how less he has played in recent times and his low impact, Los Blancos remain keen on moving him on.
Hence, the player will discuss his future with his agents next month to take note of his options for the future. There have been rumours that Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr, who recently signed Cristiano Ronaldo, want to bring in Hazard as well.
A move to the MLS, following in the footsteps of Gareth Bale, could also be an option for the former Chelsea wing-wizard.
All in all, a clear decision on his future could emerge once Hazard meets his agents and chalks out his next steps in February.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
