Real Madrid Transfer News: Eden Hazard Rumours Fuelled by Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane has dropped a not-so-subtle hint that Real Madrid could make an audacious swoop for out-of-sorts Chelsea winger Eden Hazard in the near future.

The Belgian has yet to discover the form that made him a Premier League star in 2014/15, yet Real Madrid Castilla coach Zidane insisted he’ll get back to his best with the Blues before hinting that Real will move for his signature, reported Marc Williams of Daily Star: “I have no doubts he'll be back. After Messi and Ronaldo, Hazard is my favourite player. It is spectacular to see him play. Do I see him going to Real Madrid? I love the player, that's all I will say."

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

Hazard signed for Chelsea from Lille for £32 million back in 2012 and quickly established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

It was last season when the 24-year-old really came into his own, though, scoring 14 Premier League goals and creating many more. Here’s a reminder of exactly why Zidane is such a fan of Hazard:

Yet Real Madrid will have to dig very deep into their pockets to land the talented Chelsea man.

Hazard signed a bumper five-and-a-half-year contract with the Stamford Bridge outfit back in February, and that could mean Los Blancos would have to pay out a world-record fee to acquire his services.

According to Sami Mokbel of Daily Mail, Real are concerned they’d have to part with more than the £85.3 million they stumped up for Gareth Bale back in 2013 to land Hazard.

Yet the player heralded as the third-best in the world by Zidane was always going to command such a premium, and if the Frenchman gets his way, a big-money bid will be on the table in the not-too-distant future.

Real Madrid have a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal, yet Hazard would undoubtedly add another dimension to it. Plus, at just 24 years of age, the Belgian has plenty of time to go on and be one of the all-time greats.