Real Madrid and Eden Hazard have a decision to make. Many injuries and few match opportunities have left the expensive winger frozen out at the La Liga champion elect. And there is little to suggest that matters will improve there.

Hazard, who electrified the Premier League in England with Chelsea, has scored six times for Real since he signed for approximately €100 million ($108 million) before add-ons three seasons ago.

The club has paid millions more for each of his goals when factoring in indications that he receives approximately €500,000 ($550,000) a week, or over €20 million ($22 million) per year in gross pay, putting him among the club’s highest earners, alongside teammate Gareth Bale. As Diario AS (Spanish) notes, keeping him is proving costly.

Of course, it’s not all about goals, and Real has invested in other peripheral squad players as well.

Still, with such restricted match time, persisting with Hazard seems illogical, and soon might be an appropriate moment to offload him if possible.

Despite the costs, Real is under no obligation to sell. With a healthy spending allocation, holding onto assets Hazard and Bale has not been so problematic.

Trimming down the squad and reinvesting in more readily available players may drive even more competition for places, though.

The group already looks strong, as a victory away at Osasuna demonstrated once again.