Eden Hazard could be the next former Real Madrid player to head to MLS amid speculation that he may fellow Lionel Messi to Inter Miami.
The Belgian winger had a four-year spell to forget in the Spanish capital after landing his dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Chelsea back in 2019. On the back of a trophy-laden stay at Stamford Bridge, where he won two Premier League titles over the course of seven glittering seasons, a mixture of a drop in form and fitness issues meant he never really hit it off at Los Blancos.
In contrast to his 110 strikes in 352 outings for the Blues, he managed just seven goals in 76 appearances for La Liga giants before his contract was torn up this summer. The 126-time international still had a year to run on his deal but club chiefs reached a mutual agreement to let him leave prematurely.
During his final year at Madrid he managed just 10 appearances across all competitions, with a departure having looked increasingly inevitable. Now, the 32-year-old may be offered the chance to revive his career with a move stateside, according to Football Espana .
They report that the former Lille academy product could potentially be a target for ambitious MLS outfit Inter Miami this summer, as the Herons look to further bolster their squad following the arrival of Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar will be joined by former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets in Florida, while ex-Blaugrana coach Tata Martino will also take over the reins as permanent head coach imminently.
The Floridian franchise is expected to be highly active this summer as co-owner Jorge Mas has revealed that as many as five new additions could join the club in the coming weeks. Hazard is not the only former La Liga star name who has been linked with a move to DRV PNK Stadium in recent times, with Jordi Alba chief among those mentioned as potential new recruits.
The outspoken billionaire Mas has not been scared of expressing his desire to introduce some fresh faces to the South Beach outfit's squad in the coming months, especially following the capture of world-renowned star Messi. He previously told the Miami Herald that the club is in a financial position to strengthen, saying: "We have been preparing for [Lionel] Messi's arrival in 2023, and we have left a huge amount of flexibility in the accounts.
"We will make more signings this summer, more than people expect. We don't have to revolutionize the squad, but I can say we will potentially make between three and five signings."
Moves for other Camp Nou heroes of yesteryear have also been mooted by club chiefs in recent times, with Mas also having admitted that an approach for Luis Suarez was considered. The Uruguayan forward is currently turning out for Gremio but the former construction tycoon admitted to El Pais that a deal could be difficult to strike due to his existing contract.
On top of this, the departure of veteran former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta from Vissel Kobe has led to some speculation that the 39-year-old could also be on his way to Miami. The World Cup winner left the Japanese team earlier this month and is looking to end his career elsewhere.
