Looks like he's going nowhere after all
It seemed like one of those transfers that was only a matter of time, a matter of Real Madrid coughing up the money needed to get their man. But in a surprising twist in the tale, it now seems as though Real Madrid will give up on their pursuit of Eden Hazard, refusing to pay what they consider to be an exorbitant fee, and focus on the talent already in their squad.
According to a report in Spanish newspaper
AS, Madrid will make Isco the focal point of their team, just as new manager Julen Lopetegui did as Spain manager, and give Marco Asensio a more prominent role in the side.
Madrid believe that signing Hazard would mean having to incorporate him into an area of the pitch in which they are already well covered, according to the report.
Hazard has not been secretive about his admiration for Madrid, but they club will not sign him for the sake of signing him, solidifying their shift in transfer strategy away from the Galactico policy. They have resisted signing a 'Galactico' since the last World Cup, when they signed James Rodriguez after his star performances for Colombia in Brazil. James is now out on loan at Bayern Munich.
As they will not sign Hazard, Madrid seem certain to keep Gareth Bale too, and reinstate him as a key player in the side. Bale will assume Ronaldo's goalscoring role from the wing, although one would still expect the team to share the goals more than they used to, with Karim Benzema being allowed to play more selfishly in front of goal.
Madrid have spent the past few seasons bringing in some of the best young talent in Spain; Marcos Llorente, Dani Ceballos, Marco Asensio, Theo Hernandez and Jesus Vallejo are the next generation for Los Blancos. Now is their time to show that they are worthy of wearing the white jersey.
