Real Madrid Transfer News: Eden Hazard Wanted Amid Isco, James Rodriguez Rumours

Real Madrid have reportedly identified Chelsea star Eden Hazard as the prime candidate to replace Isco or James Rodriguez if they leave the club.

Radio show Tiempo de Juego reported as much on Cadena COPE (h/t Sport), with Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane said to be a keen admirer of the Belgian's, who will be targeted if Isco does not put pen to paper on a new deal at the club or Rodriguez moves on.

The admiration between Hazard and Zidane is mutual, with the playmaker having publicly praised the Frenchman's abilities as a player.

After a poor campaign last season, the 26-year-old is enjoying an excellent time under Antonio Conte, and his revival has played a key role in firing Chelsea to top spot in the Premier League.

WhoScored.com rated him as the division's best player last month after several impressive performances:

By contrast, while Isco and Rodriguez have largely done well during their time on the pitch this season, the pair are ostensibly back-ups at the Santiago Bernabeu and have struggled for minutes on the pitch.

Indeed, as Squawka revealed, in terms of league games, Hazard has almost double Isco's game time this year and more than triple Rodriguez's minutes:

	Hazard	Isco	Rodriguez
Apps	25	20	13
Minutes	2,081	1,081	615
Goals	10	6	2
Assists	4	5	5
Chances Created	52	24	23
Take-Ons	119	19	4
Passing Accuracy	84%	89%	87%

When their numbers are compared per 90 minutes on the field, it is in fact Rodriguez who has been the most creative this year, providing 3.37 opportunities and 0.73 assists on average.

The Colombian scored and produced an assist on Saturday as Real beat Eibar 4-1, per La Liga writers Andrew Gaffney and Dermot Corrigan: 

As noted by The Guardian's Sid Lowe, the 25-year-old providing assists from set pieces is a fairly common occurrence when he's on the pitch:

Both he and Isco are valuable assets and having the two stay at the club would ensure great strength in depth in Madrid's squad.

However, if one or both does depart, Hazard would be an outstanding replacement as he's one of very few players who matches or perhaps even exceeds their quality.

If the Chelsea man does arrive in the Spanish capital, he'll need to be given a bigger role than Isco or James currently enjoy—such is his ability and the money it would take to land him, he'd need to command a starting berth alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in Real's front three.