The 23-year-old, a long-term target of Manchester United, only moved to the Estadio da Luz last summer from Standard Liege.
It is believed that Sir Alex Ferguson has had scouts tracking the midfielder's progress for a number of years.
However, according to talkSPORT, Madrid are now ready to launch a £15m bid for Witsel, who has earned 27 caps for Belgium.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| C | Manchester CityMan City | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 96 | 34 | 62 | 91 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 91 | 29 | 62 | 89 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 86 | 41 | 45 | 82 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 76 | 61 | 15 | 68 |
| 5 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 74 | 61 | 13 | 66 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 77 | 63 | 14 | 63 |
| 7 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 85 | 62 | 23 | 60 |
| 8 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 57 | 58 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 74 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 57 | 58 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 55 | 62 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 54 | 67 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 | Fulham | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 55 | 61 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 50 | 65 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 | Brentford | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 56 | 65 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 49 | 67 | -18 | 32 |
| R | Luton TownLuton | 38 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 52 | 85 | -33 | 26 |
| R | Burnley | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 41 | 78 | -37 | 24 |
| R | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 38 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 104 | -69 | 16 |
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