Paper Round: Real Madrid set their sights on Chelsea's Eden Hazard

Last year's Footballer of the Year Eden Hazard is a Galactico in waiting, according to the Sunday Times. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez sees the Belgian as an ideal fit and having broken the world-record transfer fee twice to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale he will not baulk at whatever asking price Chelsea set. Real have the option of selling Ronaldo to Paris Saint Germain, or Bale to Manchester United, to help fund the deal.

It's no surprise to see Eden Hazard, the outstanding player in last season's Premier League, linked with a move to Real Madrid. The 24-year-old has grown into one of the game's world stars in his three years at Chelsea, but you feel there is still more to come from the Belgian if he is to reach the heights set Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as Jose Mourinho thinks he is capable of. It's frightening to think of how good Hazard could be out of the tactical strait-jacket of a Mourinho team, too.

The Sunday Express are reporting that Liverpool have made contact with the representatives of both Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti. According to the article it was a sounding out exercise as the Reds' hierarchy remains split over whether to part company with a coach who came so close to delivering a league title only 16 months ago. Ancelotti has reportedly told the Anfield club he is unavailable until December, while Klopp would move immediately - but it won't happen unless Brendan Rodgers suffers a heavy defeat in next week's Merseyside derby.

Speculation has intensified around Brendan Rodgers' position in charge of Liverpool, and it's not going to go away despite the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. Rodgers looks on borrowed time after a stuttering start to the new season, with performances and results both hard to come by. Though the split within Fenway Sports Group over what to do with the manager hints at a worrying lack of direction in the ownership, it is not very often managers of the calibre of Klopp and Ancelotti are readily available on the market.

Jack Grealish has decided to play for England at full international because he has got a better chance of playing in major tournaments, according to the Sunday Express. The 20-year-old's international future has been a topic of much debate in recent weeks and he has been capped at youth level for the Republic of Ireland, but he is unlikely to be included in England's squad for next month's Euro 2016 qualifiers as he awaits clearance from FIFA.

Roy Hodgson's right hand man Ray Lewington was present at Anfield yesterday to check on the progress of the youngster in Aston Villa's defeat to Liverpool, and the England manager has made no secret of his admiration for the youngster's talent. The 68-year-old has an increasingly exciting array of young players to choose from and the prospect of adding Grealish's quite sizeable talent to that pool will make the buildup to Euro 2016 all the more interesting.