Aston Villa are said to be interested in signing Belgium World Cup star Eden Hazard – a player who has been likened to Jack Grealish.
Now, there has been some shock news coming from Qatar, which could entice Unai Emery into making a bid for the Real Madrid No.7 in January.
What’s the story?
Well, the 31-year-old has now confirmed that he is retiring from international football, after Belgium suffered a surprise exit from Group F.
After winning 126 caps for Belgium – scoring 33 goals – Hazard has decided to call it a day on the international scene, which some players usually do in order to prolong their club career.
It is for that reason why we think Emery may now be tempted to submit a bid for the man CIES Football Observatory value at just €7m (£6m).
It was Defensa Central in Spain who revealed that Aston Villa want to sign Hazard, although the main question mark was if he would be a wise long-term investment at the age of 31.
However, now that international football is off Hazard’s schedule, his club career should last longer.
The likes of Jamie Vardy, James Milner, Paul Scholes and Alan Shearer all retired from England duty quite early, with the latter even hanging up his boots for the Three Lions aged 29.
However, that ensured Shearer was able to make 228 more Premier League appearances, in which he remarkably scored 113 goals.
Therefore, Hazard’s decision to retire from international duty should definitely have Emery thinking.
Aston Villa could have another Grealish in Hazard
The Villans haven’t really found a proper replacement for Grealish since his £100m move to Manchester City in 2021.
However, Hazard could be that man – according to Jamie Carragher, anyway.
The Sky Sports pundit once compared Grealish to the Belgian forward, saying: “Another player I do want to compare him to, because of the position he plays, is Eden Hazard. In this left side of a front here, he’s got a similar sort of build, powerful legs, backside as well.”
Be sure to keep an eye on Hazard in January – he finds himself surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, so anything could happen.
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