Arsenal have apparently been in talks with Real Madrid over signing Eden Hazard but those discussions have reportedly broken down over the financial details of the move.

Are Arsenal interested in signing Eden Hazard? It would seem unlikely given his cost and age, but that’s what they are reporting in a few outlets in Spain.

Well, they are reporting that Arsenal were interested in the former Chelsea man, who has struggled in Spain, but that talks between the two sides have collapsed due to a number of factors.

Firstly, there is Hazard’s wage which stands at around £384,000-per-week, making him the highest-paid player at Real Madrid. That is well in excess of the largest salary at Arsenal which is £265,000 and goes to Gabriel Jesus.

Secondly, Arsenal and the player only wanted a loan deal and Hazard wanted a guarantee that he could return to the Real Madrid squad when it was over. That is not something Real Madrid are prepared to offer him, with Florentino Pérez apparently not valuing his return in the summer. If Hazard leaves in this window, Real Madrid want it to be on a permanent basis. In other words, at best, a loan with a mandatory purchase option.

Arsenal, for their part, wanted to pay under €3m towards Hazard’s salary which diariogol say represents less than 50% of what he is currently paid.

Hazard is under contract with Real Madrid until 2024 after signing a five-year deal when he moved from Chelsea in 2019 for €115m.

For that huge outlay, Real Madrid have got in return just seven goals and 11 assists from 73 games. The 32-year-old has averaged under 50 minutes for each of those appearances.

To compare, at Chelsea, where Hazard averaged 77 minutes per game, he scored 110 with 92 assists across 352 games.