Real Madrid News
Real Madrid misfit hoping to build a ‘new life’ at club after World Cup disappointment
Belgium were one of the gross underperformers in the recently-concluded World Cup. Regarded as one of the dark horses heading into the tournament, the Red Devils were knocked out of the group stages, much to everyone’s surprise.
Shortly after the World Cup exit, the nation’s Real Madrid ace Eden Hazard announced his retirement from international football.
And according to AS, the retirement marked a crucial stage in Hazard’s career and it appears the former Chelsea superstar is now keen on making an impression in the Real Madrid camp. He wants to right the wrongs after struggling to make his presence felt in the Spanish capital for three and a half years.
Hazard’s spell at Real Madrid has indeed gone south, with the forward scoring only seven goals since joining the club in the summer of 2019.
However, the Belgian has made a strong impression since returning to training in the Real Madrid camp. He has looked more involved and his commitment levels have impressed coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The report suggests that Hazard now intends to fight for his place in the Real Madrid setup. He wants to become a starter in the near future, moving ahead of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the pecking order.
The forward also wants to help Real Madrid secure silverware during the second half of the campaign, as he had promised his fans. But more importantly, he wants to get his career back on track after spending three and a half year difficult years at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, for their part, are open to selling Hazard in the near future in order to alleviate some of the losses incurred through the €100 million expenditure on the former Chelsea frontman.
But he has made it clear in the past that he does not plan on leaving Real Madrid in January. And the 31-year-old is now focused on starting a ‘new life’ at the club following his international retirement.
Manchester City have now joined the ever-growing list of admirers for Celta Vigo midfielder and Real Madrid target Gabri Veiga, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the breakout stars of La Liga this season, having impressed with his goalscoring abilities from the centre of the park. Indeed, the youngster has notched up nine goals in La Liga and his exploits have made the giants of Europe sit up and take notice.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in Veiga’s services heading into the summer. The Merengues have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos on expiring contracts and it is unlikely that all three will be renewed, especially with Jude Bellingham being on the agenda.
In case of Modric and Kroos, even if they stay, it will likely be for only a season at the most. Hence, Los Blancos could require more than one central midfielder come summer, with Veiga emerging as an option.
The 20-year-old was also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now, Manchester City have also jumped on the bandwagon of clubs interested in Veiga’s services.
The Cityzens, who are battling Real Madrid for Bellingham as well, are set to lose Ilkay Gundogan in the summer when his contract expires. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s future is also far from certain, thus necessitating the signing of another midfielder.
Veiga has a release clause worth €40 million in his contract with Celta Vigo, which should not be a problem for either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino recently admitted that the midfielder could leave the club in the summer, saying:
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything there. We know some of his offers and it is impossible to reach them.
“There are several teams behind Gabri. Real Madrid? They haven’t asked us, we don’t know if they will have called the player. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Real Madrid are prepared to go all out for Veiga’s signing or decide to entirely focus on their pursuit of Bellingham.
