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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is chasing an audacious double swoop for Real Madrid duo Eden Hazard and Nacho Fernandez in January.
The Basque coach has made a solid start since replacing Steven Gerrard — masterminding crucial Premier League victories over Manchester United and Brighton.
And he is keen to add quality to his squad with reports in Spain suggesting Hazard and Nacho would both be allowed to leave Los Blancos in the winter window.
Hazard, 31, has never looked comfortable in the Spanish capital and his patchy form has seen him limited to a bit-part role.
As a result, it is believed the Belgian — signed for an initial £89million fee plus add-ons — could be available for as little as £22m.
Villa managed to pull off a similar deal for Barcelona flop Philippe Coutinho but will have to fend off interest from the likes of Newcastle to sign Hazard.
Nacho, 32, is out of contract in the summer and is also reportedly available for a cut-price fee with Real boss Carlo Ancelotti willing to cash in.
The versatile defender has spent 21 years at the Santiago Bernabeu since joining the club academy aged 11 and would bring plenty of experience and technical ability to Villa Park.
In other news
Barcelona want to sign Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan in January but are lining up Leicester’s Youri Tielemans as a back-up option as they know a deal is unlikely, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Calciomercato claim AC Milan will demand at least £87.5m for Chelsea and Tottenham target Rafael Leao.
Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke will hold talks with Jude Bellingham after the World Cup but admits he cannot compete financially with the Premier League’s big guns, report the The Daily Mail.
