Real Madrid News
Real Madrid open the door for out-of-favour star to leave in January
There was always hope of light at the end of the tunnel when it came to Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. After his initial struggles to break into the starting XI immediately after his arrival, the management and fans waited patiently hoping for him to unleash his best. Alas, it was not to be.
The patience has finally run out, three years after his arrival, and Real Madrid see it as a priority to part ways with the former Chelsea star. According to reports from MARCA (h/t Madrid Xtra), Los Blancos have opened the door for Hazard to leave in January.
After a disappointing start to the new season, the Belgian international also struggled to make an impact for his national team at the FIFA World Cup and announced his international retirement immediately after the Red Devils’ exit from the tournament.
The 31-year-old started Belgium’s first two group stages and looked lost on the field, prompting the manager to start him on the bench for the third and final game. He did not contribute to any goal, took just one shot in the entire tournament and managed less than 30 touches per game.
Recent reports suggested that the Serie A could be his next destination with Inter Milan being particularly interested. His current contract runs until the summer of 2024, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are clear that they are ready to sanction an exit for the former Chelsea ace at the earliest.
Hazard has only made three La Liga appearances for Real Madrid in La Liga this season and is yet to score a goal. His only goal of the term came in the team’s 3-0 win over Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.
While a departure in January would favour all parties involved, Hazard has previously insisted that he would not consider leaving in the winter. So, it will be interesting to see if Ancelotti continues to trust the player if he fails to secure an exit.
It hasn’t been a good week for Real Madrid, who look all set to relinquish their Spanish league title to arch-rivals Barcelona come the end of the season, following a narrow defeat to the Blaugrana at the weekend.
However, as Real Madrid enter the international break, there is some positive news for Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
As reported by Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona look set to miss out on their two star players in Ousmane Dembele and Pedri due to injury, ahead of the upcoming second-leg semifinal tie against Real Madrid, in Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid are heading into this game with a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg, meaning they must beat Barça with a two-goal margin in order to book a place in the final. The absence of both Pedri and Dembele, to that end, could be a major boost for Ancelotti.
Pedri, who was expected to return to full fitness for the second leg, has suffered a relapse. It has set his return back to three or four weeks late, meaning the youngster will not return until the April 23 tie against Atletico Madrid.
The situation is not much different for Ousmane Dembele. The explosive attacker is recovering slower than expected and though he was tipped to return in the league game against Real Madrid this month, he remains a major doubt for this Copa Del Rey tie.
However, Barcelona did register a narrow victory over Los Blancos even without these two individuals, so the task is definitely cut out for Ancelotti and his men as they look to exact revenge against the Catalans in Copa Del Rey next month.
