Real Madrid agree Hazard deal

The deal comes after extended negotiations from which Chelsea may earn in excess of £130 million for the 28 year-old with bonuses included. The player himself is keen to make the move, having announced his desire to leave Stamford Bridge moments after scoring twice in their 4-1 Europa League final win against Arsenal last week: "I think it is goodbye, but in football you never know".

With just one year left on his deal at the London club, Chelsea were left with little option but to cash in on their star forward before they would potentially lose him for free next summer. Hazard has enjoyed arguably his best personal season at 'the Blues', scoring 16 goals and providing a league-high 15 assists as he led his side to Champions League qualification, as well as inspiring a run to the EFL Cup final and helping Maurizio Sarri's men finish the season on a high as they beat Arsenal in Baku to win the Europa League.

 

June 6, 2019

If losing their talisman wasn't a big enough blow for Chelsea, matters are complicated further by the fact that they are not allowed to sign a replacement due to a two-window transfer ban placed upon them by FIFA. 

For Real Madrid, on the other hand, the imminent signing of Hazard is a strong statement of their intent as they look to rebuild under Zinedine Zidane after a bitterly disappointing 2018-19 campaign that saw them end the season trophyless. The Belgian superstar becomes their third signing of the summer window as he joins Brazilian defender Éder Militão and Serbian striker Luka Jovic at the Santiago Bernabéu, with the latter having only arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt this week.