5 players Real Madrid can target instead of Eden Hazard

Arguably the most sensational transfer of this summer was the mind-boggling departure of the Portuguese megastar - Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for £99.2m.

Since then, the transfer speculation has been ignited for who is going to step into Ronaldo's shoes and assume his vacant throne at Los Blancos.

Innumerable names have come to the fore as Real Madrid's potential transfer targets and as per reports, the person who has topped the club's wish list is none other than the talented Belgian who goes by the name of Eden Hazard.

The Chelsea forward has long been linked with a possible move to Santiago Bernabeu even well before Ronaldo's adieu to the club, which has earned the deal some serious traction.

And although there is no doubt that the 27-year-old boasts immense potential, it goes without saying that the one-time Lille ace will cost Los Blancos an arm and a leg.

On that note, here we take a look at 5 other players Real Madrid can target in place of Eden Hazard.

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#5 Leroy Sané

Sane has grown by leaps and bounds under Pep Guardiola

It's safe to say that since joining Manchester City back in 2016 for £45m, a fee that raised many eyebrows, Leroy Sane has lived up to his true potential and has hit new heights under the aegis of Pep Guardiola.

The German winger was an instrumental figure in The Citizens' glorious title-winning run last season as he notched up 10 goals and engineered 15 assists in the Premier League.

Blessed with remarkable pace and dribbling skills, Sane is a player who can slalom past opponents with consummate ease and feed neat assists to strikers or lash the ball into the back of the net all by himself.

His headline-generating absence in the recently concluded World Cup 2018 was profoundly felt as Germany crashed out of the all-important tournament.

#4 Hirving Lozano

Mexican star

Mexico may have once again failed to break their second-round curse at the World Cup, but they did at least produce the tournament’s brightest star.

Pitted against the likes of Germany, Sweden and South Korea in Group F, Lozano played a key role in El Tri's qualification to the Round of 16. The 22-year-old registered a decisive goal and an assist in the competition.

Apart from his career-changing winner against Germany in the opening World Cup encounter, the PSV star also set up Javier Hernandez’s deciding strike versus South Korea, which proved to be the difference at the end of the match.

As such, his market value has increased exponentially but he will still come on the cheap in comparison with Hazard's price.

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#3 Lorenzo Insigne

The Italian genius

Over the course of the past couple of seasons, Lorenzo Insigne has merchandised himself as one of the best wingers in modern football.

At Napoli, he has formed a deadly trio alongside Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon, which helped The Blues become the highest-scoring team in Serie A following the Juventus squad of 1959/60 when they netted 94 goals last year.

The 27-year-old is a fleet-footed winger usually deployed on the left flank and has a proclivity for cutting inside and curling the ball into the far corner, redolent of Alessandro Del Piero.

Criminally overlooked by Gian Piero Ventura at the national camp, Insigne's underuse was a consequential reason why Italy ignominiously failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.

#2 Ivan Perišić

Ivan Perisic was phenomenal in the World Cup

The way Croatian national team etched their name in the footballing folklore by unexpectedly making their way to the finals of the World Cup was one for the books.

And even though it was Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric who remained in the limelight for The Blazers' exploits in Russia, Ivan Perisic was the unsung hero of their incredible campaign.

The 29-year-old oiled the wheels of Croatia's road to the finals via an impressive tally of 3 goals and an assist. Perisic's contributions were particularly pivotal in Croatia's spine-tingling razor-thin victory against England where he went on to score the equalizer before chipping in with a heaven-sent assist that led to Mario Mandžukić's winner in the extra-time.

Valued at £40.5m according to Transfermarkt, it would be an absolute steal for Real Madrid if they manage to hijack Manchester United's target.

#1 Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial is reportedly seeking a move away from Manchester United

After relishing a stellar debut season at the Old Trafford, Anthony Martial has found game time hard to come by as he has fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho.

The emergence of Marcus Rashford and the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal have placed his position at Manchester United in jeopardy, which is why the 22-year-old is now desperately looking for a move away from The Red Devils in order to unlock his full potential.

Initially, Jose Mourinho was obdurate on holding on to the wantaway Frenchman but several reports have come to light which suggest that the Portuguese manager is contemplating to sell him to a club outside Premier League.

Consequently, this presents Real Madrid with the perfect opportunity to scoop up the gifted French forward, who is currently valued at £58.5m.

Martial is well-known for his explosiveness and lightning pace – along with his admirable dribbling and ball control – making him a nightmare to play against, and he could be a long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo to boot.