Transfer Centre

Eden Hazard 'free to leave Real Madrid in January'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 06 November 2022

Real Madrid reportedly tell out-of-favour attacker Eden Hazard that he is free to leave the club in January amid links with Aston Villa.

Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard is reportedly free to leave the club in January, having been deemed surplus to requirements under Carlo Ancelotti.

The 31-year-old has consistently struggled for form and fitness since making the £100m move from Stamford Bridge to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2019.

Hazard currently sits behind Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema in the attacking pecking order, while Federico Valverde is also preferred out wide.

The former Chelsea man has been persistently linked with a departure from the Spanish capital amid his struggles, but he has frequently voiced his desire to stay put.

However, Marca now claims that Real Madrid have given Hazard the green light to seek a departure over the winter, as he has no future at the club under Ancelotti.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard pictured in March 2022 © Reuters

The report claims that Hazard seemingly has no chance of forcing his way back into the Italian's plans, and the attacker is aware that the door is open for him to seek a departure.

Real Madrid chiefs supposedly have "no faith" in the Belgium international's abilities, and the club believe that an exit would be best for both parties at this point.

However, Hazard remains defiant in his stance and has no interest in seeking a move away from the Bernabeu, where he is under contract until the summer of 2024.

As a result, Real Madrid will not actively try to force Hazard out of the club, but they have made it clear that his playing situation will not change in the near future.

Hazard has only scored seven goals and set up 11 more in 72 appearances for Real Madrid over the past three seasons, having missed a further 72 games through injury or illness.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard in action with Elche's Johan Mojica on January 22, 2022 © Reuters

This season, the ex-Lille starlet has only played six games for Real Madrid in all competitions, scoring once and setting up one more in La Liga and the Champions League.

Both of those contributions came on the opening matchday of the Champions League against Celtic, and he has only made the starting lineup on two occasions in 2022-23.

Since playing 59 minutes of a 4-1 win over Mallorca on September 11, Hazard has been an unused substitute in each of Los Blancos' last seven La Liga matches.

Despite his injury struggles, Hazard has nevertheless won six trophies during his time with Real Madrid, including two La Liga titles, one Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup and two Supercopa de Espanas.

Should Hazard ultimately seek a move elsewhere in January, Aston Villa are said to be considering an ambitious move for the Belgian.