Chelsea make £100m Eden Hazard transfer decision

CHELSEA will not budge from their £100m valuation of Eden Hazard and are stonewalling Real Madrid over the Belgium star.

Posted Wednesday, April 10, 2019 by Dailystar.co.uk

Chelsea make £100m Eden Hazard transfer decision
Chelsea are ready to fend off interest in star man Eden Hazard this summer (Pic: GETTY)

Hazard is top of Real's wish list and the 28-year-old is expected to push to join them this summer.

But meaningful talks will not take place until Chelsea learn the outcome of their fight to overturn a transfer ban for breaking rules over young players.

That could become clearer tomorrow when the club's appeal against the two-window sanction is heard by FIFA.

If it goes against them, Chelsea are ready to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which could freeze the ban until it reaches a verdict.

That would allow Maurizio Sarri's men to reinvest any fee they receive for Hazard in reinforcements this summer.

But Chelsea will not back down from Hazard's £100m price tag, which is currently regarded as unrealistic by Real for a player entering the final year of his contract.

Hazard lit up Stamford Bridge with two goals, including a wonder strike, in Monday night's win over West Ham.

He has now been directly responsible for 28 Premier League goals this season, more than any other player.

But it has long his been dream to play for Real, and Sarri admitted that while it would be a "disaster" if he left, the club may have to respect his wishes.

The Italian wants Chelsea to hold out for more than £100m, but that seems a vain hope with Real pursuing several other targets too.

As revealed by Starsport, the Spanish giants also have Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Christian Eriksen of Tottenham on their shortlist of targets.

Hazard, who is Chelsea's top scorer this season, was asked again about his future in an interview released yesterday.

He said: "I don't want to talk about that. I'm focused on the last month at Chelsea and then we'll see what happens."

On-loan Blues striker Gonzalo Higuain, a former Real player, also hinted Hazard could be off, saying: "When a player has a desire, it is difficult to change his mind.

"What matters is Eden's decision and the decision of the board. He has not asked me [about life in Madrid] but if it's what makes him happy, I wish him the best. I hope he can stay."