Chelsea are reportedly set to demand £200m+ for Eden Hazard as Real Madrid continue to be linked with the influential star.
The 27-year-old has been a fundamental part of Chelsea’s recent success, scoring 89 goals in 300 appearances for the club since joining in 2012 while playing a key role in winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the Europa League.
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With Maurizio Sarri preparing to take charge of his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, the last thing the Italian tactician will want is to see Chelsea’s best player leave, and so he’ll undoubtedly be keen to see Hazard remain and continue to lead the side in the attacking third.
In order to do that, it’s claimed by The Daily Mail that Chelsea will demand over £200m for the Belgian international this summer while it’s suggested that they see such a hefty price-tag as a potential deterrent to try and put off Real Madrid from pursuing Hazard.
Whether or not that strategy works remains to be seen, but the Spanish giants have an issue to solve this summer given that they saw Cristiano Ronaldo leave for Juventus earlier this month, as confirmed by the Turin giants, and that leaves a huge void in their line-up moving forward.
Julen Lopetegui may opt to give more responsibility to the likes of Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio to make up for the loss, and perhaps with a £200m price-tag standing in between Madrid and Hazard, he might not even have the luxury of seeing the Belgian ace bolster his attacking options next season.
While Hazard hasn’t come close to Ronaldo’s scoring tallies over the years, his creativity and threat in the final third would certainly be welcome for any side. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how much Madrid are willing to spend in order to secure his signature.