Real Madrid: Hazard offered deal by Belgian second division side Westerlo

KVC Westerlo are the current leaders of the Belgian First Division B, with a 10-point advantage over Waasland-Beveren in the chase for promotion to the top flight. The modest side from Antwerp have also reached the last 16 of the Belgian Cup, which they won in 2000-01. Following the arrival of Turkish businessman Oktay Ercan as the club’s owner, Westerlo have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes and are set on a return to the big time as quickly as possible, having narrowly missed out last season during the covid-19 interrupted campaign. Ercan has invested around €10m in the club and Westerlo are aiming for the stars, although they might find that one in particular may be beyond their reach for now: Real Madrid and Belgium forward Eden Hazard.

The club’s vice president, Hasan Cetinkaya, is also in charge of the sporting area of the club and thusly recruitment and has not ruled anything out. “I think I can consider Eden Hazard as a friend. I knew him when he was at Lille and he promised me one day he’d play for Fenerbahçe. It might be a bit trickier to bring him to Westerlo, but you never know. Maybe he’ll end his career here,” Cetinkaya joked in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.

Hazard is not having the best of times at Real Madrid, where he has been plagued by injuries and the emergence of Vinícius Junior has seen the Belgian slip further down the pecking order under Carlo Ancelotti. Hazard has also been questioned in Belgium, where he is no longer seen as a vital component of Roberto Martínez’s Red Devils, with some former players suggesting that he would be better off leaving the Bernabéu in January.