With the dust still settling after Newcastle United’s £300 million takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, talk is now turning to who could be the Magpies’ first big name signing.
The mega money takeover, which has made the North-East club the wealthiest in England, looked to have been cancelled earlier this year, but was back on the cards in October and was finalised ahead of the club’s game against Tottenham Hotspur at St. James’ Park.
After the deal was completed, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and Timo Werner were all linked with a move to the Toon, however it now appears that another big name could be on the club’s radar.
According to The Star, Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard has emerged as a shock target for Newcastle, and will be allowed to leave his current employers.
As per the report, Newcastle are preparing a shock move for the former Chelsea star, and Carlo Ancelotti would be willing to let the player go.
“Never in my coaching career have I forced a player to stay when they want to leave,” the Italian said.
“In my personal opinion, there is no question about that.
Hazard is yet to compete a full 90 minutes so far this term
“If a player wants to leave, he will leave. There is not much doubt about this.”
The former Blues star, who won two Premier League titles and two Europa Leagues during his time with Chelsea, swapped London for the Spanish capital in 2019 but has endured a tough time with the club so far.
The Belgian played just 16 league games in his first season with Real, and has still only made a total of 53 appearances for the club across all competitions having struggled with a number of injuries.
The player is contracted to the Spanish side until 2024, and it apparently keen to change his fortunes at the club and make a success of his time there, having labelled it his ‘dream move’ when he joined two years ago.
Despite this, the player’s lack of game time and repeated injury struggles have seen him heavily linked with an exit in January, although he is currently believed to have no interest in joining Newcastle.