Chelsea do not appear likely to seal an emotional return for Eden Hazard in the January transfer window.
The Blues have seemingly been linked with a reunion with the Belgian playmaker ever since he swapped Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabeu back in the summer of 2019.
Hazard ’s move to Spain has not gone to plan, with injuries and poor form limiting the now 31-year-old to just 61 outings and six goals for the Spanish giants.
Despite that, Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that the winger will remain with the club.
Speaking at the weekend, the former Chelsea boss said: "Hazard is in our plans for the next season, I can confirm."
Whilst the Blues’ hopes of securing a deal for their former hero seem remote at the current time, it appears that they are exploring alternative avenues in an attempt to bolster their wide options.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, the reigning Premier League champions have lodged an enquiry into the status of Spanish international Marco Asensio, who appears likely to leave Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old has been in and out of the side at the Bernabeu this season, starting just 11 of 32 games in all competitions, although he has been relatively productive in his limited outings with seven goals thus far.
It is suggested that both the Spanish international - valued at £36m by transfermarkt - and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele are on Chelsea’s shortlist of attacking options should Thomas Tuchel turn to the market for recruits.
It would be intriguing to see the Blues make an effort to take Asensio to Stamford Bridge having been linked with him on a number of occasions in the past. It was reported ahead of the 2017/18 season that the Blues retained an interest in the former Real Mallorca man.
A move never came to fruition though, with the winger then going on to play a starring role for Real.
Even more interestingly, any transfer would see Chelsea beat London rivals Arsenal to the signing of one of their major targets. The Gunners have on many occasions been linked with Asensio, including during the previous summer window before securing the signature of his former Real Madrid teammate Martin Odegaard instead.
Whether Chelsea’s initial enquiry translates into a tangible play for the Spaniard’s signature remains to be seen but they will hope to get a more positive result after their failed pursuit of former hero Hazard.
