Real Madrid Transfer News: Eden Hazard Rumours Played Down

Eden Hazard's chances of one day joining Real Madrid have been played down by his father amid ongoing rumours linking the Chelsea star with a move to the Spanish capital this summer.

Thierry Hazard has been left searching for answers after his son failed to secure a transfer to Los Blancos, per Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror: "I cannot say why it did not go through. Not because I do not want to, but because I do not know. Next year, Eden will have one year left on his contract, but perhaps he never ends up in Madrid."

He cited Real's change in the dugout, where Julen Lopetegui replaced Zinedine Zidane in June, as a potential factor: "It may be that it was a different story with Zidane. But then he will have had his reasons to leave."

There is a fair chance Hazard senior's words will ring true, even though his son's contract with the Blues runs out in 2020. Kajumba noted how Chelsea intend to offer Hazard a new deal worth £300,000 per week.

The offer would keep Hazard at Stamford Bridge for the long term following yet another summer of rumours linking Hazard with Real. Those rumours gathered pace in July after the Belgium international talked up the prospect of leaving west London during the FIFA World Cup in Russia:

At the time, Real were readying a bumper bid of £150 million, according to the Daily Mail's Matt Barlow. The links went cold later in July, when AS reported Los Merengues were content to rely on Isco and Marco Asensio for the goals and creativity Hazard could provide (h/t Football Espana).

Real's plans may have mattered little, with Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri recently revealing another reason why Hazard hasn't left, per Joe Short of the Daily Express: "I cannot sell without the possibility to buy another player at the same level. So I think Eden will stay with us for the whole season."

Sarri's desire for Hazard to stay put is understandable since the classy attacker is a natural match-winner whose flair and vision can turn any game. Hazard has only needed cameo appearances to prove his worth this season:

Those skills would surely make Hazard a hit at the Santiago Bernabeu, even though Real aren't lacking for creative talent. Isco and Asensio are both cultured attackers with the intuition and technique to unlock defences in a variety of ways. They are also ideally suited to Lopetegui's possession-based game.

Los Blancos would be better served recruiting a more direct and prolific source of goals to replace the threat lost when club-record scorer Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus earlier this summer.