Chelsea are reportedly set to demand £100 million from Real Madrid for star man Eden Hazard, amid growing fears of the Belgian’s summer exit.
As per a report from ESPN, Premier League giants Chelsea fear that they will not be able to hold on to Belgian wing wizard Eden Hazard beyond the summer, amid rising interest from Real Madrid and have decided to demand a transfer fee of at least £100 million from the reigning European champions.
Hazard has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid for quite some time now. The rumours linking Hazard with a move to Real Madrid have refused to go away, especially with the Belgian international set to enter the final year of his contract with the Blues.
Negotiations over a new contract worth £300,000-a-week had failed as Hazard was reluctant to put pen to paper. And Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri claimed that Hazard would be free to leave ahead of the next season should he so desire. However, the recent transfer ban imposed on the Blues by FIFA matters for the West London outfit.
While they will be strengthening their attack with Christian Pulisic’s arrival at the end of the season, but replacing a player as important as Hazard is a monumental task, which they will not be able to do in the upcoming two transfer windows, due to the FIFA sanctions.
As much as Chelsea would love to keep hold of Hazard, the Blues are resigned to the fact that the chances of the winger staying at the club beyond this season are very slim. And throw in Zinedine Zidane’s shock return as the manager of Real Madrid, the Londoners have more reasons to fret over the possibility of their talisman leaving.
While Hazard has previously made it clear that he would not force through an exit from Stamford Bridge like compatriot Thibaut Courtois, the report from ESPN claims that Chelsea do not want to risk losing their prized asset for nothing once his contract expires in 2020 and would be willing to sanction a sale for a figure in the upwards of the £100 million mark.
Hazard has once again been the main man for Chelsea in Sarri’s debut campaign, having bagged 16 goals from 38 appearances across all competitions, while also setting up 11 more. The 28-year-old’s contract status, coupled with Real Madrid’s need for a marquee signing and Zidane’s return to Santiago Bernabeu all points towards a summer transfer to Spain for the Chelsea star.
