Real Madrid are reportedly planning transfer raids for Chelsea star Eden Hazard and Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen if they cannot sign Neymar.
That’s according to pundit Guillem Balague, who told BBC 5 Live, as quoted by the Daily Star, that Los Blancos were putting aside €300million to bring in Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, but that that money could also go on Hazard and Eriksen as a Plan B.
‘He can’t cost less than €300m? Right now, Real Madrid are putting that aside to see if he’s available,’ Balague said.
‘Otherwise that money will go to Hazard and Eriksen. That’s the plan so far.’
Not a bad alternative to have for Madrid, who look in urgent need of a big shake-up up front after the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, with Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio not really stepping up in his absence, while 31-year-old Karim Benzema is surely not a long-term option.
Real signing Neymar certainly seems ideal for them, with the Brazilian a comparable figure to Ronaldo in terms of both his ability and presence on the pitch, plus his marketability off it.
However, fans would surely not turn their noses up at Hazard and Eriksen as alternatives, with both the Belgian and the Dane up there with the finest attacking players in Europe in recent seasons.