Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid superstar Eden Hazard, with Unai Emery keen to recruit the Belgian international after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
According to Defensa Central, the Spanish manager is keen to make a splash in the January transfer market, with a move for Hazard on the cards as the winger looks set to leave the Europan champions in 2023, with Carlo Ancelotti favouring other players in the main Madrid XI.
Hazard joined the Spanish giants in 2019 from Chelsea in a deal that totalled at £150m as per BBC Sport. However, injuries and a lack of form has seen the winger become a shadow of his former self, who coincidentally punished Emery in his final game for the Blues in the UEFA Europa League final.
Now, three years later, the former Arsenal manager could now be managing Emery, with Defensa Central stating that the Spanish coach has been given the green light to move for Hazard and to make what could be one of the most surprising signings of the January transfer window.
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Indeed, Villa have made some surprising signings in recent windows with Philippe Coutinho joining from FC Barcelona on loan last January before Steven Gerrard made the deal permanent in the summer. And Hazard could prove to be a similar deal for new manager Emery.
The Belgian superstar is in need of a change of scenery, and a return to the Premier League would make sense given how accomplished Hazard was in the division for Chelsea. However, Villa could be the wrong club to return to England with given their current status.
As mentioned, Villa have gone down the superstar signing route before under Gerrard with Coutinho. And whilst the Brazilian international hasn’t been a bad recruit in the slightest, the Premier League side might be better off going in a different direction, which is what makes bringing Hazard to Villa Park in January so risky.
After all, the winger has not played regular football at a consistent rate since his days at Chelsea. And whilst Villa need something in the market to get them out of their runt, signing a superstar in Hazard could do more damage than good for Emery’s new side.
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