La Liga leaders Real Madrid have set their sights on Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fabregas.
According to a report in Diairo Gol, Real Madrid are pondering a move for the former Barcelona midfielder. Fabregas, 29, has found first team minutes difficult to come by this season but Zinedine Zidane has reportedly been impressed with the positive impact he has managed to make.
Due to Antonio Conte’s insistence on using Nemanja Matic alongside N’golo Kante in the middle of the park, he has been restricted to only 20 appearances in all competitions this season, starting only 10 of those games. Despite that, he has scored 4 goals and registered 7 assists.
These impressive statistics have ‘surprised’ Zidane. He is reportedly looking for a midfielder like Fabregas and the report states that he has told club President Florentino Perez that he would make place for the Spanish international in his dressing room, if the move would be feasible and take little effort.
Fabregas has constantly been linked with a move away from Chelsea since the summer transfer window and while both manager and player have insisted that those rumours are false, the Spaniard’s lack of game time this season may force him to reconsider his future at Stamford Bridge.
If Real Madrid were able to pull off a stunt like this, it would no doubt be a huge victory given Fabregas’ history with their arch rivals Barcelona. To bring a player of his quality to the squad whilst also rattling Barcelona at the same time would likely be considered a priceless proposition at the Bernabeu.
With Isco and James Rodriguez also heavily linked with a move away from the Bernabeu, Fabregas would be a great replacement for the European Champions given his vast experience winning titles in the La Liga and Premier League.
He turns 30 this year, meaning that he is the perfect short term option for Zidane’s first team as Los Blancos will also be looking to incorporate youngsters such as Lucas Vazquez and Marcos Asensio further into the first team over the course of the next few seasons.