UNITED AND REAL JOIN CHASE FOR CHELSEA’S HAZARD

United and Real join race for Chelsea ace

LONDON: Jose Mourinho is planning a British record £90mil (RM491mil) move for Chelsea star Eden Hazard.

The Manchester United boss believes he can beat Real Madrid and Paris St Germain to the brilliant Belgian playmaker.

Hazard, 26, has already turned down a new £300,000-a-week (RM1.6mil) four-year Stamford Bridge deal as he considers his options.

Real boss Zinedine Zidane has made Hazard his No. 1 target.

And reports in Spain claim he will join the Spanish giants after next summer’s World Cup in Russia.

But Mourinho sees Hazard as the missing piece in his Old Trafford jigsaw.

The £32mil (RM174mil) signing from Lille was part of Mourinho’s Chelsea team that won the 2014-15 title.

And, while he is understood to be one of the players Mourinho had a strained relationship with when he was axed months after lifting that title, the Special One is ready to raid his old club.

United already hold the British transfer record after paying £89mil (RM485mil) for Paul Pogba in 2016.

And they laid out £75mil (RM409mil) for striker Romelu Lukaku last summer, in a deal that could rise to £90mil.

Meanwhile, United are ready to rival Chelsea in the battle to sign Juventus’ Alex Sandro – and will offer out-offavour Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a bid to cure their leftback woes.

Antonio Conte had made the Brazilian a top summer target as he looked to improve on his title-winning starting XI.

However, the Blues were unable to agree a deal with Juventus and Sandro, 26, stayed in

Turin.

The former Porto man has lost his place in the side following the emergence of Kwadwo Asamoah, and United believe they have an opportunity to sign him in the winter transfer window.

Juventus prefer a player plus cash transaction in the summer, but would reluctantly sell this January without any exchange should a £50mil (RM273mil) offer come their away.

Mkhitaryan has lost his place in the United starting XI following a string of poor performances and could be set to leave Old Trafford in January.