Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is prepared to let Marco Asensio leave for Chelsea only if he gets Eden Hazard in a swap deal.
Pretty much every elite Premier League side has been linked with a move for Asensio of late, with Chelsea the latest to be reportedly interested. The 21-year-old is probably the next big thing in the world of football; such is his potential.
Spanish website Diario Gol claim Zidane wants to bring in Hazard from Chelsea which will see Asensio go in the other direction. Real, meanwhile, have been chasing Hazard for the best part of two years and remain determined to get their man.
It is no coincidence that Chelsea’s recent resurgence has coincided with Hazard’s return from injury. The Belgian attacker was in sublime form last season, driving the Blues to the Premier League crown for the second time in three years. Despite missing the start of the new season with surgery on his broken right ankle, Hazard has managed to strike up a positive relationship with summer recruit, Alvaro Morata.
However, with Hazard excelling, Real are shooting up their interest. It is no secret that Zidane is a big fan of the Belgium international and wants to bring him to Santiago Bernabeu.
The report from the Spanish news outlet further says that Zidane and Hazard are in constant touch with each other through WhatsApp. Hazard is still said to have ambitions to move to the Bernabeu at some point in his career, although he has recently claimed that he is more than happy with life in London and that he wants to win more titles with Chelsea.
Yet, club president Florentino Perez may need some convincing. Perez is desperate to keep hold of Asensio and had reportedly guaranteed him to be a key member of Zidane’s team. But with Zidane not being a big fan of the young attacker, the promise made by the club president to Asensio has not materialised.
Above all, Asensio’s form in recent weeks has not helped his cause as Real have struggled to keep pace with bitter rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Zidane’s side are now 8 points behind Barca.
Regardless of whether there is weight to the swap reports, Asensio’s immense talent, be it from the start of a game or from the bench could precisely be what Real might need at this time to shake things up.