Real Madrid Transfer News: Eden Hazard and Kevin Strootman Rumours Grow

Jose Mourinho thinks that Eden Hazard could quite literally be kicked out of English football amid reports suggesting the Belgian is set to be subject to a massive bid from Real Madrid.

The Chelsea manager was unhappy with the performance of referee Phil Dowd in the aftermath of the Blues’ 5-3 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last time out. Mourinho insisted that after being on the receiving end of some hefty challenges already this season, 23-year-old Hazard may decide to ply his trade elsewhere, per Matt Law of The Telegraph:

"

The way match to match he's being punished by opponents and not protected by referees, maybe one day we won't have Eden Hazard. It's one, two, three, four, five, 10 aggressive fouls against him. 

They kick and kick and kick, and the kid resists. He's a very honest guy in the way he plays, but that's another problem.

"

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The statistics certainly go a long way to backing up Mourinho’s assessment of the situation, as WhoScored.com illustrated ahead of the Blues’ big loss at White Hart Lane:

Perhaps it’s something Madrid have been keeping an eye on, too. According to Colin Harvey of the Daily Star, the European champions are lining up a £70 million bid for the Chelsea No. 10. Harvey writes that Mourinho could be forced into a sale by Financial Fair Play regulations if he wants to bolster other areas of his squad.

To lose a player like Hazard would be majorly detrimental to Chelsea’s cause, though. With that in mind, any sale seems unlikely at this juncture. It’s not worth losing a world-class talent when other areas of the squad are already pretty well stocked.

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Also, sadly for Hazard, the best players in the world get kicked a lot regardless of what country they're playing their football. Mourinho will know that all too well after his time managing in Spain and Italy, and these quotations about a potential exit should be taken with a pinch of salt.

After all, given his glittering form, why would the Blues even ponder a sale? Football writer Liam paid tribute to the Belgian, who was Chelsea’s best performer in that loss:

With their array of attacking talent, Hazard isn't really a player Madrid are in desperate need of either, and perhaps the European champions will turn their attentions to other areas of their squad.

Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

According to Bruce Archer of the Daily Star, Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman is looking to leave the Stadio Olimpico in January, with Los Blancos reportedly keen on the player.

The Dutchman has also been long linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, per David Wright of the Daily Express, but claimed recently that he’d love to play for the European champions or Barcelona, per Archer's aforementioned piece.

Here are the kind of qualities Strootman would bring to those sides:

The Giallorossi have insisted on myriad occasions that the midfielder—easing his way back to full fitness following a substantial injury layoff—will be going nowhere in the midseason window, per Sky Sports HQ, and despite these most recent rumours, that will almost certainly be the case.

Nonetheless, Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks Strootman would be an ideal acquisition for a side in need of a classy holding midfielder player:

Madrid's midfield has been magnificent so far this season, but with doubts lingering over the future of Sami Khedira—one of the only orthodox holding midfield players Carlo Ancelotti has at his disposal—Strootman could be a wise acquisition.

The unrelenting energy he possesses would add some real fortitude to the base of Real's midfield, but it's something that the club should be looking to put on hold until the summer. After such a serious injury, Strootman may not emerge as quite the same player; if he does, he has the class to make a major impact at the Santiago Bernabeu.