Chelsea are reportedly prepared to pay around £72million to seal the transfer of Real Madrid attacking midfielder Marco Asensio to replace the Bernabeu-bound Eden Hazard.
According to Don Balon, the Blues have more or less accepted Hazard is on his way out of Stamford Bridge, with the report stating he’s struck personal terms with Madrid.
If this proves correct, Chelsea could do much worse than sign Asensio, who, despite his struggles with Real this season, has long looked one of the most exciting young players in Europe.
The Spain international has not played as much this season and has struggled with the pressure of having to help replace Cristiano Ronaldo after his transfer to Juventus.
In fairness to Asensio, though, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have also been disappointing this season, so it could be that the 22-year-old would simply benefit from a change of scene.
The set-up at Chelsea could be well-suited to Asensio’s game, and replacing Hazard would give him a key role in Maurizio Sarri’s team.
Diario Gol also recently linked Asensio with Liverpool, claiming they’d made an approach over the Spaniard.
One stumbling block for both teams, however, could be Los Blancos’ asking price, with Don Balon stating Chelsea’s £72m offer would not be enough to persuade his club to sell.