Premier League giants dream of signing Eden Hazard

Real Madrid misfit Eden Hazard is reportedly a subject of genuine interest from the Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.

Hazard was Real Madrid’s marquee signing in the summer of 2019 when he joined the La Liga juggernauts from Chelsea for a reported fee of £130m. The Belgian forward was a nuisance for the opposition defenses during his time in the Premier League, clocking up 110 goals across all competitions for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Indeed, while enjoying a rise to stardom in London, the 29-year-old was unlocking defenses at will week in, week out, posing a permanent threat.

His magnificent stint at Chelsea that earned him prominent recognition in the world football now looks like a remote memory. Hazard has been a shadow of a player he once was since linking up with Zinedine Zidane’s side. An injury-hit maiden season in Spain saw the ex-Lille starlet score only once in 16 La Liga outings in the 2019/20 campaign. Things have not improved this season either, as he has only made four league appearances in 2020/21 thus far.

Since Hazard’s career in Madrid has been nothing but a disaster, a premature exit is well on the cards. Los Blancos will be looking to recoup most of the funds they splashed out a year-and-a-half ago if the opportunity presents itself. Luckily for Florentino Perez, Hazard’s dip in form has not fended off all of his admirers. In fact, Manchester City’s interest in the versatile forward is still very much alive.

According to Spanish outlet OKDiario, Pep Guardiola dreams of bringing Hazard back to the Premier League. The Spanish manager holds a long-term interest in the Real Madrid flop and could decide to accelerate his pursuit should he receive encouraging signals from the Spanish capital.

Guardiola has waxed lyrical about Hazard’s qualities on multiple occasions in the past. Only last year, the 49-year-old coach hailed the Belgium international as ‘world-class.’

“Not a top player, another level above. What we saw in England… he is world-class. The whole world knows that you need a period of adaptation,” he said back in 2019.