Eden Hazard is having a fantastic season for Chelsea and as always with a player in fine form, the transfer rumours have begun to gather some pace. It may come as a surprise that it isn’t Real Madrid who have been linked with the Belgium international in the last few days – it is actually the Blues’ Premier League rivals, Manchester City.
It has been reported that Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Hazard’s ability and may attempt to land him in the summer for a staggering £150 million. The interest in Chelsea’s star man has been relentless over the last few months, with Zinedine Zidane the leading candidate to be the 27-year-old’s new manager; but now, with one of football’s best gaffers putting his name in the hat, his future is more uncertain than ever before.
If the Premier League champions could choose where their electric forward could sign, they would undoubtedly choose Real Madrid purely for the reason of not wanting to significantly strengthen a close rival. This has led to the Blues saying they won’t even accept a world-record bid of £200 million from the Citizens whilst knowing they will have no chance of stopping a move to the Spanish capital. Hazard has said in the past that he is open to a move to Madrid, who have struggled to reach their usually-top quality form this term.
If Antonio Conte is still the boss by the time the summer transfer window comes around, he will be desperate to convince his superstar to stay in West London. Chelsea have allegedly offered a new contract to Hazard, which would see him earn in excess of £300,000 a week, similar to the amount on the table from Man City and no doubt in the region of what Real Madrid are willing to pay.
Regardless of whether City pursue their interest in one of the top-flight’s best players, Eden Hazard will be faced with a huge decision this summer. Blues supporters will be hoping he chooses to stay at Stamford Bridge but with the bright lights of the Bernabeu on offer, could it be too good to turn down?
Header image: “Eden Hazard / Эден Азар” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Aleksandr Osipov
