Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Marco Reus and Eden Hazard

Real Madrid are on fire at the moment. They have won 17 games on the bounce in all competitions, sit two points clear at the top of La Liga and have booked a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League as group winners with a game to spare.

However, there is always room for improvement, and as ever with Los Blancos, rumours continue to circulate as to which star player will be the next Bernabeu Galactico.

Here is the latest news surrounding Marco Reus and Eden Hazard, two high-profile reported targets of Carlo Ancelotti's.

Marco Reus

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The much sought-after Reus has been strongly linked with a move to Real for some time now—along with Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool—per James Whaling in the Mirror.

However, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder is being urged by his compatriot, Germany and Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus, to stay in the Bundesliga and snub a move to Spain or England, per Sky (h/t Nick Lustig) in the Daily Star:

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The important thing is he stays in the Bundesliga. It would be a pity if he left for Spain or England. Uli Hoeness once said that it was Bayern's duty to buy every German national team player. [...]

If I was in charge at Bayern I would think about [signing Reus]. With Reus this is not about economic reasons... this is about the chance to win titles. Maybe success in Dortmund is more emotional. But, at the end of the day, nobody is ever asked which title was more emotional.

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It does certainly seem as though Reus is set to depart Dortmund soon, with his bargain £19.75 million buyout clause set to kick in in the summer of 2015, per Lustig.

For a player of Reus' quality, a fee of under £20 million is unheard of these days, hence the massive interest in him.

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Real may be able to beat the competition by putting in a bid for Reus in January, when Dortmund may be willing to do business in an attempt to get more money for their star player than they stand to make in the summer.

Furthermore, Dortmund are currently having a disastrous season in the Bundesliga as they sit 14th having lost eight of their 14 games.

They are in serious danger of not making the Champions League next season, a factor which would likely make Reus far less inclined to stay at the club.

The 25-year-old is currently recovering from an ankle injury, but he would be a world-class addition to Real's already blistering attacking unit.

However, the wealth of talent in Madrid's side may make him less inclined to move to the Bernabeu, as European football writer Clark Whitney alludes to:

In all likelihood, Reus will leave Dortmund in the summer, and with his price so low, the lure of trophies and a bumper salary are set to be the main influence on where he ends up. In this respect, Real are high on the list to sign the German star.

Eden Hazard 

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Real are reportedly planning a blockbuster £70 million bid in attempt to lure Hazard away from Chelsea when the January transfer window opens, but they will face competition from an equally eager Paris St-Germain, according to David Wright in the Express.

However, both clubs could be scuppered in their pursuit of the Belgian forward if he signs a new contract with Chelsea, which Blues boss Jose Mourinho hints may well be the case, per Wright:

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If they're [Chelsea's young players] happy to be here, like Eden is showing, he will sign a new contract sooner or later. They can basically be the Chelsea team for the next few years.

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At just 23 years old, Hazard has already marked himself out as one of the Premier League's best players, and his contribution this season has been key to Chelsea currently sitting six points clear at the top of the table.

It is unsurprising that there is huge interest in him and he would seemingly fit very well into Real's setup, Squawka's stat illustrating just how much of a threat he is to opposition defenders with his pace and movement:

Chelsea will be loath to let him go though and, with the Blues in their current phenomenal form, Hazard is unlikely to think he could be more successful elsewhere.

Equally, Los Blancos have traditionally not done their big business in the January transfer window, with marquee deals for Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo all being made in the summer.

And according to Ancelotti, Madrid are not set to buck that trend, per AS:

Hazard would be a fine addition to any team, but Real already boast the attacking likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Rodriguez, Karim Benzema and Isco, a group the former Lille man is unlikely keen to have to compete with for a starting spot.

Most likely, as Ancelotti suggests, Real's business in January will be minimal, not much of a surprise as it would seem foolish to upset the current, almost unbeatable, squad.