Chelsea Transfer News: Eden Hazard Rumours Intensify as Player Rejects New Deal
Eden Hazard has rejected a second contract offerย from Chelsea, and the attacker reportedly could be preparing to depart for Real Madrid.
French media outletย RMCย (h/tย Metro) reported Hazard has refused the Premier League champions' latest terms. The Belgium superstar is already under contract until 2020, but Chelsea wish to extend his stay.
According to RMC, Hazard has refused to tie himself to the club after two fresh offers which would have made him the highest-paid player in the Blues' history. However, he is reportedly aware of Los Blancos' interest in his talentsย and wants to see if the reigning La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners come knocking at the end of the season.
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Per RMC, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is "furious" his playmaker has turned down the club's latest contract offer.
Speaking toย Le Soir, Hazard's father recently revealed his son had rejected Chelsea's advances, but this had nothing to do with Real's potential interestย (h/t Kristof Terreur ofย Het Laatste Nieuws):
Chelsea goalkeeperย Thibaut Courtois has hinted both he and Hazard will pen new deals at the Bridge, claiming his compatriot is happy in west London.
Perย Simon Johnson and Ravit Anandย of theย London Evening Standard, the Blues No. 1 was clear in his assessment:
"Do Eden and I encourage each other to sign? Yes. He will say, 'If you sign, I will sign,' and I say the same to him!
"I think we are both happy at Chelsea; we both have a good part to play. We have been champions twice in the four seasons I have been here and can have our peak years together at Chelsea."
Hazard, whoย has provided excellent value since his arrival from Lille in 2012, was central to Conte's success last season. He regained his incredible form after the Italian's arrival, scoring 16 goals as Chelsea won the Premier League title.
However, the player's trophy-winning exploits continue to put him in the shop window of Europe's superclubs, and Real need to rebuild after a catastrophic start to the current campaign.
Per Belgian TV channel RTL (h/tย Sky Sports News), Hazard has previously declared it would be a "dream" to play under Real coach Zinedine Zidane.
Conte knows Hazard's potential loss would have a huge impact on the productivity of his starting XI, and a world-class replacement would cost a similar fee.
