Given that Villa have already pulled off a coup in signing Philippe Coutinho, it appears that it could be open season in terms of ‘name player’ transfer links this January.
Yesterday we saw emerging links to Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez. Whilst we dare not dismiss such rumours given that the Coutinho story was scoffed at in some quarters, there remains little meat on the bone and it’s understood the former Liverpool is not a target.
The latest loan transfer rumour is another exciting one on paper, but one which again has little in the way of reputable sources.
Embed from Getty ImagesA link emerging for Belgian international midfielder Eden Hazard is interesting, no doubt, but it seems a leap to make a direct connection to Villa Park at this juncture. The 31 year old also hasn’t managed to replicate the form that saw his stock rise considerably at Chelsea before securing a bumper £89m move to Spanish giants Real Madrid 3 years ago.
Persistent fitness and injury issues have plagued Hazard’s time at The Bernabeu and this has translated into the fact he’s managed just 43 La Liga outings. For a player whom many supporters would regard as a dangerous attacking threat, he’s also only found the net 4 times too.
Whilst Hazard’s CV and pedigree is impressive, it must be considered a significant risk to acquire a player (even on loan) whose availability for selection represents such a question mark. There’s also the matter of money, with Hazard earning €470,000 (£400k) per week, a considerable sum to subsidise on any balance sheet.
Once more we watch and wait, with Villa still thought to be working on targets during this window. For now, the likelihood of Luis Suarez joining appears more remote than yesterday and any link to Eden Hazard to be speculative at best.
MORE: Every Piece Of Villa Transfer News & Rumour