Report: Real Madrid Closes in on Signing Eden Hazard From Chelsea
Eden Hazard is closer to joining Real Madrid now than he has ever been, according to reports.
Los Blancos have long been interested in the Chelsea attacker, whose penalty fired Antonio Conte to his first knockout trophy as well as the Blues' eighth FA Cup success against Manchester United on Saturday.
According to Daily Mail journalist Pete Jenson, the Spanish giants are closing in on the Belgium international, with this summer tipped to be the one where the switch finally occurs.
The report claims a whole host of reasons as to why Hazard's time has now come to join Zinedine Zidane's men, compared to other transfers windows since 2016 when Real Madrid's initial interest came to the fore.
Barcelona's expected signing of Antoine Griezmann for around €100m being one; with Florentino Perez and the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy needing to counteract their Catalonian rivals' business to avoid further domestic humiliation next season.
Their already eluded to third-place finish and disappointing showing in the Copa del Rey this term is indeed also another significant factor, with Los Blancos' failings highlighting Zidane's need to strengthen this term; a position that could be made stronger if Liverpool are able to topple the reigning European Kings in Kiev on Saturday.
However, Hazard's self-admitted unselfishness is undoubtedly the most persuasive argument, with Real Madrid's individually strong but cohesively weak lineup a significant factor in their troubles this campaign.
"My father always told me that I’m too selfless and maybe it’s true," the Belgian forward said in the build-up to this weekend's FA Cup final. "I think now if you want to win something like the Ballon d’Or or the top-scorer (award), you need to be selfish. But I’m not like that, not at all."
With the likes of Ronaldo, Isco and Marco Asensio all already within Zidane's ranks, and the spotlight-craving Neymar also tipped to join the Spanish capital side over the next 12 months; the Chelsea man could indeed be the creator Los Blancos are crying out for.
And Hazard's comments post-match on Saturday to the BBC revealed that he is leaving every door open.
“Now I am just happy," he responded when asked if securing silverware would be enough for him to stay in west London. “The most important thing now is that we end the season with a prize.
“In the final, you just need to win but we know we need to play better. You have not seen a big Chelsea performance but we defended well.
“It was not a great season, but at least we finished well. We couldn’t finish in the top four, we don’t have the Champions League next season, but at least we have something to celebrate with the fans.
“I will see what happens next season – if we have a new manager, if we bring new players. It’s not just about one thing. I’ll just take my time. We have the World Cup, which is important, so we’ll see.”
