Real Madrid ‘will look to loan Eden Hazard out before the World Cup’

Real Madrid ‘will look to send Eden Hazard out on loan before the World Cup’ as the Belgian winger looks to resurrect his Bernabeu career.

Hazard, who cost Real in the region of £100million when they signed him from Chelsea in 2019, has been plagued by injuries during his time in Spain and is sidelined once again.

This season has seen Hazard play just 877 minutes of club football and start just nine matches for the LaLiga leaders.

Eden Hazard could be set for a loan move away from Real Madrid at the start of next season

The Belgian winger has endured another injury-plagued season and requires surgery again

He will miss the remainder of the campaign to undergo surgery to remove a titanium osteosynthesis plate in his right fibula, which was inserted to heal a shin bone fracture he suffered.

It is hoped this latest operation will mean Hazard, 31, is finally free of injury and can hit the ground running next season.

However, according to Spanish newspaper Diario AS, he may not begin 2022-23 in the colours of Madrid.

They report that with Vinicius Junior in such good form and virtually undroppable, and Kylian Mbappe potentially arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, there is little chance of regular football for Hazard.

So the aim is to send the Belgian out on loan so he can regain form and fitness by playing regularly elsewhere and be ready to represent his country out in Qatar during November and December.

Hazard will want to play for Belgium at November’s World Cup so a loan spell could benefit him

Real will also be able to reduce their wage bill by loaning Hazard – who earns around £400,000-a-week, more than anyone else in the squad – out for at least some of next season.

Hazard will be keen to get back to full fitness for the World Cup. The 116 times capped player was left out of Roberto Martinez’s latest squad for the friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Burkina Faso last week.

And that is expected to focus his mind and make him agree to a loan move in order to play regularly and win a place in the Belgian World Cup squad, rather than warming the bench at Real.

Belgium were drawn against Canada, Morocco and Croatia in Group F in Qatar. 

Hazard has suffered a succession of injury setbacks since he joined Real from Chelsea in 2019

In total, he has played only 65 times for Real since joining from Chelsea, scoring six times and contributing a further 10 assists in what has largely been three seasons of injury misery.

His contract is due to expire in the summer of 2024 and a successful loan spell could boost his value if Real make the decision to sell next year.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team moved 12 points clear at the top of LaLiga following Saturday’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo.

They return to Champions League action with a trip to Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Wednesday night as they look to gain revenge for last season’s semi-final exit to the Blues.