Chelsea Transfer News: Stunning Eden Hazard Claim, Latest Paulo Dybala Rumours

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has claimed Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois "wanted" to join Spurs before they moved to Chelsea.

Redknapp offered such a stunning claim on talkSPORT's Drivetime show, in which he suggested the current Blues stars could be plying their trade across London at White Hart Lane:

"

I was with Hazard in Paris, four hours I spent with him. He wanted to come to Tottenham, but the deal dragged on and didn't happen.

The goalkeeper, Courtois, we had him for next to nothing when he was 17 and that was another deal that dragged on forever and we didn't get it over the line. He should have been at Tottenham. If we had of bought one or two players in at that time that we could have got, I felt we would have had a team capable of winning the league.

"

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As it turns out, it's Chelsea who are looking likely to grab the Premier League crown. Currently seven points clear of Manchester City atop the division, Jose Mourinho's men continue to benefit on a weekly basis from the quality of Hazard and Courtois. They are both match-winners in their own right.

Hazard's terrific haul of nine goals and five assists, per WhoScored.com, has played a major role in Chelsea's dominance this season. The Belgian has added consistency to his game—last year he tended to flit in and out of tight contests—and is working harder for his team-mates across the pitch. Hazard's tremendous output was recently highlighted by WhoScored:

Courtois underlined his credentials with a match-saving performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg. A couple of huge reaction saves enables Chelsea to return to Stamford Bridge with a precious 1-1 draw, a job the Blues will be confident of finishing in front of their home fans.

It's a measure of Courtois' success to consider Chelsea haven't needed to use Petr Cech with greater regularity. Granted, Cech put in an excellent display during the win over Everton, but Courtois picked up where he left off upon his return, without any fuss.

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Chelsea captain John Terry recently commented on the difficult task of making sure both world-class stoppers remain satisfied, reported by Matt Law of The Telegraph:

"

I saw enough of Thibaut in last season’s Champions League semi-finals. We’ve got the two best goalkeepers in the world in my opinion, both fighting for one place. It’s difficult. You can’t keep them both happy. The manager manages to do it, I don't know how.

Obviously they both want to play all the time. But the two of them are at the top of their games. Rotating them is a tough job. I’d rather that was the manager’s decision.

"

At 22 years old Courtois has well over a decade's worth of first-class football ahead of him. Both he and Hazard are already leaders in a team who are ready to win silverware. Redknapp's comments are likely to make Spurs fans feel nauseous, particularly as the two players they allegedly could have signed stand to do plenty of damage to Tottenham's hopes in the coming seasons.

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Mourinho is reportedly looking to add further strength to his squad in the summer, however, with Paulo Dybala's name increasingly linked to Chelsea. In fact, Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb (translated by Jamie Sanderson of the Metro) suggests the west London side are in "pole position" for Dybala's signature.

The Palermo striker is said to be valued at £29.5 million after an excellent turn of form for the Serie A side. Dybala's impressive run of 11 goals and seven assists in 22 matches, per WhoScored, ensures he is among the most coveted young players in the world.

Indeed, his summer transfer would generate plenty of headlines and could see his reputation further expand on the continent. B/R UK's Ryan Bailey and Matteo Bonetti recently considered Dybala's potential move to England alongside a host of other transfers:

Dybala would add yet another classy talent to Mourinho's squad which simultaneously appears ready to win trophies now and in the future.

This is a remarkable feat for the returning boss who continues to sculpt Chelsea in his hard-working, lethal image.