Football Football transfer rumours: Eden Hazard to join Real Madrid?

Florentino Pérez has not had time to sign off Cristiano Ronaldo’s £88m move to Juventus, for he has been scouting Russia high and low in search of his next golden galáctico. With one heading out the door for Juventus, another one must arrive at Real Madrid and the club’s president reckons he’s identified his man: Eden Hazard. In fact, he has supposedly reserved the No 7 shirt and a parking spot by the same number at the club’s Ciudad training complex for the Belgium forward; no half measures, clearly, as Real ready themselves to roll out the red carpet.

Also in the elite underworld of goings-on, Manchester City are said to have agreed a whopping £60m deal with Leicester City for their winger Riyad Mahrez, with the Algerian set to undergo a medical in the coming days. That saga could finally be about to be put to bed. While all eyes are on Mahrez in Manchester, Chelsea and Arsenal are fighting it out for the Nice midfielder Jean-Michaël Seri, a staple part of these pages these days.

The Ivorian has been spotted in London, and we all know what that means. Across town, West Ham defender Reece Burke is set to turn his nose up at a move to Hull City, snubbing them in favour of a switch to Frank Lampard’s Derby County. Also in the Championship, Liverpool are weighing up loan offers for teenager Ben Woodburn, with Norwich City and Sheffield Uniteddead keen. 

Elsewhere, Ajax are keen on being reunited with Manchester United utility man John O’Sh … Daley Blind, with the Dutchman happy to return home after struggling to make a dent at Old Trafford. And, Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis wants to beef up his front-line by adding Burnley striker Sam Vokes, while Marseille are trying to woo free agent and Italy forward Mario Balotelli to the club by telling him what a good boy he has been the past 12 months or so.