Thibaut Courtois Wants 'Buddy' Eden Hazard to Join Him at Real Madrid
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has expressed his desire for international colleague and former Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard to join him in Spain, although admits it is not something they have specifically discussed between them.
Courtois left Chelsea last summer, forcing his way to Real, and Hazard is heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu as his contract at Stamford Bridge inches closer to its 2020 expiration.
The 28-year-old winger is yet to agree to an extension with Chelsea and the club could be forced to sell him if that situation has not changed in the summer. By then, Hazard will have just 12 months left on his contract and his value will begin to sharply fall with the threat of free agency.
Should he wind up at Real, Courtois would no doubt be delighted.
"It would be nice, but of course I cannot say much about it," the goalkeeper told VTM Nieuws.
"Eden is a top player and also my buddy. If he came here, it would be fun, but he must make his choices. We laugh at the fact that we like to play football together but that is something I do not interfere in," Courtois added.
Chelsea's struggles could help dictate where Hazard chooses to play next season. The London club have been pushed out of the Premier League top four after a number of poor results since December, and run the risk of not qualifying for the Champions League for the second year in a row.
Victory in the Europa League remains a risky insurance policy to get into Champions League next season if Chelsea fail to do so via the domestic route, with reports this week claiming that manager Maurizio Sarri is 'under pressure' to win it.
