Hazard Fancies Chelsea Whirl: Transfer Saga Ends as Hot Prospect Picks Chelsea

Belgian wonder-kid Eden Hazard announced on Twitter this evening that he would be joining Chelsea next season.

The man who led French club Lille to a 2010/11 League and Cup double under the guidance of coach Rudy Garcia, sparked a transfer scramble when he announced he would be leaving France for the Premiership.

Inter has expressed interest in the Belgian and Real Madrid, whose director of football Zinedine Zidane, is an admirer said to be interested in the player comparing him to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

At one stage, it appeared the attacking midfielder, who won the prestigious 2011 Bravo Award given to the best under-23 player in Europe, had a straight choice between Manchester City or Manchester United, but since their victory in the Champions League just over a week ago, the London-based club had emerged as serious contenders for the Belgian international's signature.

With an aging squad badly in need of reinvigoration despite their unlikely European triumph, Hazard will be the first of many new faces in the Chelsea squad next season.

His arrival is sure to increase speculation over the future of England international Frank Lampard, who was not a regular under doomed boss Andre Villas-Boas last season, and has been coveted by Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and Major League Soccer in the U.S.A. recently.

Hazard can play on either wing which would solve a problem of lack of real width that has dogged Chelsea for some years and as a goalscoring midfielder, he could fill the void left when Lampard does eventually leave Stamford Bridge.