Eden Hazard has suggested his time at Chelsea could come to an end this summer with Real Madrid expected to step up their pursuit of the Belgium captain. The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid in the past and the European champions are reportedly lining up a £150m move in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shock departure.
Madrid president Florentino Perez is under pressure to make a serious splash in the transfer market and will turn to Hazard if deals for Paris Saint-Germain duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar prove out of reach.
Hazard has stalled on signing a new Chelsea deal since the start of last season and suggested in the immediate aftermath of Belgium’s 2-0 win over England on Saturday afternoon that he may have already played his final game for the club. “After six wonderful years at Chelsea it might be time to discover something different,” Hazard told Belgian outletHLN.
“Certainly after this World Cup. I can decide if I want to stay or go, but Chelsea will make the final decision – if they want to let me go. You know my preferred destination.”
Hazard has enjoyed a sensational 2018 World Cup campaign and his displays have only strengthened suggestions Madrid will make a move for him. The Belgium captain has arguably been the best player in Russia this summer, but will likely miss out on the Golden Ball to someone in Sunday’s final.
Hazard played a direct hand in five goals in six appearances at the 2018 World Cup (three goals, two assists), picking up the WhoScored Man of the Match award on four occasions. In fact, Hazard is the highest WhoScored rated player at the 2018 World Cup (8.53 rating).