Chelsea Transfer News: Franck Ribery Urges Bayern Munich to Sign Eden Hazard

Franck Ribery's reign at the Allianz Arena may be entering its twilight years, and the Allianz Arena talisman has tipped Chelsea's Eden Hazard as the man to fill his boots when he departs.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild (h/t The Independent's Samuel Stevens) this week, Ribery dismissed Wolfsburg's Kevin de Bruyne as the heir to his throne, encouraging a move for Jose Mourinho's maestro instead:

"

[De Bruyne] is not a player who takes the ball and dribbles forward and likes to have the opponents in front of him. 

De Bruyne is great, when he fits the counterattack. At Bayern, however, you usually only have three or four metres in front of you, not a lot of room. But he is a good player and he is still young, so he can still learn.

...

[Hazard] attacks all of the time. He loves to run at his opponent. But he plays at Chelsea—this could be very expensive for Bayern.

"

Ribery is certainly correct in asserting the deal would be an expensive one, with Hazard sticking out as one of Chelsea's finest players—if not their finest player—once again this term.

Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney supposes Bayern's defeat to Chelsea in the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League final may prove pivotal in keeping Hazard at Stamford Bridge:

De Bruyne is himself shining as one of the Bundesliga's brightest talents and couldn't be further from the form that saw him sold by Chelsea just over a year ago.

However, the Wolfsburg gem doesn't base as much of his game around speed and beating his opposition in one-on-one stakes as the likes of Ribery, Hazard and Arjen Robben do.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

The Blues would undoubtedly be no easy party to bargain with when it comes to the sale of one of their most valuable players who has played a huge role in leading Chelsea to the head of the Premier League.

Squawka illustrates just what an accomplished dribbler of the ball Hazard continues to be this term, displaying how someone of his skill set could replace Ribery:

Of course, should Hazard to head for a Stamford Bridge exit, Mourinho would require a replacement of the highest standard to account for the Belgian's elite influence on his team.

According to Jamie Sanderson of Metro.co.uk, the west London giants are interested in a deal for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale. Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes says Chelsea would "blow teams away" with the Welshman's addition:

One can debate which winger is the superior asset—Bale or Hazard—but Mourinho would assuredly be keen to retain his current asset, a tried and tested success in England's capital.

Ribery's departure from the Bavarian titans is by no means imminent, but the former France international has made it clear who he'd like to see replace him. The question is whether fulfillng the wish is outside Bayern's means.