Eden Hazard has reportedly agreed a deal to join Real Madrid in the summer with Alvaro Morata set to move the other way.
Spanish publication Don Balon have reported that Eden Hazard has agreed term with Real Madrid over a summer move to the Santiago Bernabeu in a deal that will see Spanish striker Alvaro Morata head the other way to Chelsea.
After a miserable 2015/16 in which he experienced a big slump in form, Hazard has rediscovered his best to become Chelsea’s talisman again in the current campaign. The Blues have mounted a Premier League a charge for the Premier League title and they look like the odds-on favourites to lift the trophy in May.
And Hazard has been at the centre of that charge, bagging 14 goals and 5 assists for Chelsea to lead them to the top of the table. The Belgian forward is even being touted to win the Player of the Year award at the end of the season, and it goes without saying that he has re-established his status as one of the best in the world.
As a result, Real Madrid have been hot on his trails for quite some time now. In fact, their interest in the 26-year-old is well documented and they have reportedly tried every trick in the book in order to lure the him into switching to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Recent reports have claimed that Los Blancos are prepared to shell out a world record sum in the region of £120 million in order to land Hazard in the summer, while Chelsea are eager to keep hold of their prized asset by tabling a £300,000-a-week deal to him.
The latest report now claims that Real Madrid will pay far less than the aforementioned amount by including Alvaro Morata as the sweetener in the deal. The Spaniard has been in good touch this season, scoring 12 goals in 21 La Liga appearances, but has still failed to become a regular starter under Zinedine Zidane.
As a result, he has been regularly linked with a summer move away from Real Madrid, with Chelsea being linked heavily with them. Morata has even claimed recently that he will work under Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte ‘sooner or later’ in a hint that a switch to Stamford Bridge could be close.
And if the latest report by Don Balon is to be believed, he is all set to move to Chelsea when Hazard joins Real Madrid in the summer. Real Madrid are confident of landing the Belgian international, having agreed terms that will see him earn as much as Gareth Bale does currently.
Hazard is also set to don the number 10 jersey that James Rodriguez currently wears. And with Alvaro Morata headed the other way, Real Madrid are confident that an offer of €80 million will be good enough for Chelsea to accept, especially with Hazard being keen on the move.
So, Hazard looks set for a move to the Spanish capital, with Alvaro Morata set to join Chelsea in his stead. If the report indeed turns out to be true, all sides could come out as winners, with the Belgian earning a dream move to the Bernabeu to join forced with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will not like losing their talisman so easily but will get a top quality striker in Morata in return. It now remains to be seen if Chelsea indeed accepts the offer to set things in motion for a double summer transfer.