Eden Hazard vs James Rodriguez: The stats show Chelsea would be getting a raw deal in potential Real Madrid swap

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Real Madrid will swoop for Chelsea's star man Eden Hazard this summer — with their playmaker James Rodriguez set to be offered as bait.

After a return to the heights his talents offer, Hazard looks to be the subject of a transfer saga which will look to take him to La Liga.

Colombia playmaker Rodriguez would be the sweetener; a supposed ready-made replacement for Chelsea should they allow their top talent to depart.

But Real Madrid rarely allow themselves to get the raw end of a deal.

James Rodriguez could be offered as part of a Real Madrid deal for Chelsea's Eden Hazard

Hazard appears to be back to his best this season and that has attracted Real's attention

Rodriguez has been in and out of Zinedine Zidane's Real team throughout this season

Rodriguez, 25, cannot match what Hazard offers to Chelsea – as shown by the statistics from his three years in the Spanish capital.

This season, as an irregular figure in Zinedine Zidane's team, he has scored just two La Liga goals and – although he has provided more assists than Hazard – he pales in comparison elsewhere on the stats sheet.

Rodriguez is seen as the most like-for-like swap for Hazard on the market at the moment but he has clearly lost his way at Madrid – although at the age of 25 he remains a huge talent.

Antonio Conte, though, is – rightly – likely to attempt to resist any approaches for Hazard.

The Belgian's form plummet of last season allowed Rodriguez to stand above him on the stats but the former Monaco man has seen his struggles to regularly provide a creative force generally lead to a decline across the last three years as far as his figures are concerned. 

Hazard has scored 11 Premier League goals this season, adding four assists to his figures

Colombian playmaker Rodriguez has played far fewer minutes but does have more assists

Hazard was outscored in 2015-16 by the man who Real would like to think is his Chelsea replacement.

The preceding year and the season since, though it has been the Blues No 10 on top – with nine more goals than Rodriguez in Chelsea's run to what looks like a second Premier League medal for Hazard this time around.

Should Chelsea indulge Hazard's admiration for Real manager Zidane with a move this summer, they could swap one huge talent for another in Rodriguez – but like-for-like?

The pair do not match up. 

Hazard suffered a significant dip as Chelsea fell to pieces under Jose Mourinho last season