Real Madrid close in on £106m bid for Hazard
Chelsea talisman finally to secure move he craves Juventus weighing up move for manager Sarri
Real Madrid are expected to make a new bid of €120million (£106million) to sign Eden Hazard in the next few days.
Juventus, meanwhile, remain confident they can hire Maurizio Sarri as coach, although it is understood the Italian will first hold talks with current employers Chelsea.
The Italian champions are in no rush and may want to wait until after tomorrow’s Champions League final as they also hold an interest in Mauricio Pochettino, even though Tottenham Hotspur believe their manager will stay. Sarri remains their most attainable target and the expectation is he will leave after just one year at Stamford Bridge.
Hazard confirmed after Wednesday’s 4-1 Europa League final victory over Arsenal, which represented the first major trophy Sarri has won as a coach, that “I think it’s goodbye” after seven years at Chelsea, although he did add: “But in football, you never know.” The 28-year-old wanted to leave Chelsea for Madrid last year but was told he would not be sold. However, Chelsea are due to realise the fee they set, believed to be £100million, as Madrid want to complete the deal quickly.
Hazard has told Chelsea that he wants to go and will not sign a new contract and therefore would leave for free next summer should they attempt to retain him.
If the transfer goes ahead it will end a long-running saga, given Hazard has expressed a desire to leave on two other occasions, and will still represent a good price for a player who would be going into the final year of his contract.
The added complication for Chelsea is the looming two-window Fifa transfer ban, although there remains the possibility of the club applying to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to suspend the punishment while an appeal takes place. An injury to Callum Hudsonodoi, who ruptured his Achilles tendon, has also reduced their options. He was viewed as Hazard’s successor on the left side of the attack – if he can be persuaded to stay. Bayern Munich remain interested in the England international, although his injury has complicated matters there. Team-mate David Luiz said he believed Hudson-odoi could one day join Hazard as a Chelsea “legend”. He said only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi would be capable of replacing Hazard in the short-term, but then name-checked 18-year-old Hudson-odoi.
Asked how Chelsea could possibly replace Hazard, who scored two and assisted another in Wednesday’s final, Luiz said: “Let’s bring in Messi and Ronaldo. I think if he goes, I just wish him all the best. He is a fantastic friend and a fantastic player.
“I’ve known Eden since he arrived here and he was so young. Now I am so happy for him because the world knows who is Eden Hazard. In life some cycles finish and some start. We have some main talents in the club to replace him.
“We have many, and also Callum is great. He has this opportunity, he knows this club since he was young and he has the talent to one day try to be like Eden. So it’s new history for Callum. It didn’t start very well for him because of the injury, but there is time also to improve.”
Madrid had an opening offer for Hazard rejected in March and there was an understanding between the
clubs then that no further talks would take place until the end of the season. Now the Europa League final has taken place, Hazard hopes that negotiations will be accelerated. After the game in Baku he said he was now “waiting on the two clubs”.
Luiz defended Sarri, whose style has been criticised by Chelsea fans this season but who has won a European trophy, finished third in the league and reached the League Cup final. “He did great,” said Luiz. “He is a great person, great manager and we have finished in the best way, by winning a trophy for him. Even after conceding, we continued trying to play his philosophy and score more goals. You guys can analyse how difficult it was for him to be here today. He was training clubs in lower divisions and was doing one job and then he [got] his chance to try a big journey in football.
“He deserved that and it was a fantastic end of season for him.”
Nevertheless, Sarri’s future at Chelsea appears to be in the balance, and while he wants assurances that he will be backed by the club, they will not stand in his way if he wants to go and if Juventus are willing to pay £5 million in compensation.