Chelsea ready to test Hazard resolve

Posted on | October 23, 2018 | No Comments

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has insisted the club will “do what they have to do” to keep Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge amid continued speculation over the Belgian star’s future. Hazard’s current contract at Chelsea expires at the end of next season, and Real Madrid have made no secret over the fact they are monitoring the forward’s situation in London. The 27-year old has only increased speculation regarding his future by admitting it would be a childhood dream to play for Spanish giants, who themselves are looking for someone to fill the sizeable boots left by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Hazard has started this season where he left the last, playing a key role in head coach Maurizio Sarri’s impressive start to life in England, scoring seven league goals in his first eight appearances of the campaign. On the back of a sensational couple of seasons in the Premier League, Real Madrid appear to have made the forward their number-one priority, targeting Hazard as the man to fill the gap left by Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus during the summer.

Chelsea’s plan to keep Hazard at the club appears to be to offer their star man a huge new contract. But, at this stage of his career, it might not be just money that motivates the Belgium international. Without Champions League football this season, Hazard’s hopes of challenging the likes of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the tag as the world’s best player will be tough. While it’s looking likely that Chelsea will return to European football’s elite next season, currently second in the table and as short as 1/5 with the Premier League betting odds to finish in the top four this year, it may not be enough to convince Hazard to stay.

With his contract now entering the final 18 months, Chelsea will need to know whether or not their talisman intends on staying beyond his current deal, with a huge transfer fee at stake should he be allowed to run his contract down. And when looking at world football, it’s not hard to see why Real are so keen on Hazard. Aside from Ronaldo and Messi, Hazard has a very strong case to suggest he is the best player in the world at the moment. And with the Belgian seemingly open to moving to the Bernabeu, it’s looking as though Chelsea have a real battle on their hands to keep their main man.

That all said, Hazard has never come out to claim he will push for a move from the club he joined six years ago from French side Lille. While he hasn’t hidden his desire to play at the highest level, nor his respect and admiration for Real Madrid, so far, at least, Hazard has maintained a professional air regarding his future – something that perhaps wasn’t the case for his compatriot Thibaut Courtois in the run-up to his switch to Madrid.

The fact remains, however, that when Real find a player they really want to sign, it’s very rare they don’t get their man.

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