Eden Hazard Talks With Real Madrid 'Collapse' as Chelsea Stand Firm on Asking Price
Talks between Real Madrid and Chelsea over the transfer of Eden Hazard have apparently 'collapsed' as the two teams fail to agree on a fee for the 28-year-old.
Hazard has long, long been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with his contract set to expire in June 2020.
Real Madrid have been expected as his next destination, with Los Blancos desperate for new blood to lead their forward line, while Chelea have publicly acknowledged Hazard's right to leave after so many years of service.
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However, there has been one persistent stumbling block throughout the process, and that has been the fee, with the Evening Standard revealing that this has still not been resolved.
The Blues have repeatedly made it clear that they would not settle for anything less than £100m for the Belgian, but Los Blancos have been reluctant to meet that asking price.
The club's chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez recently flew into London with a view to putting these matters to bed with the Chelsea hierarchy by Monday this week. However, this has not come to pass, with Sanchez believed to have now left the capital without a compromise being reached.
While the Standard talk of a 'collapse' in talks, they still claim Chelsea 'look certain' to lose Hazard, while the Spanish side remain the clear frontrunners for his signature with plenty of time left in this summer's transfer window. However, it will be a concern for the player and his representatives that a deal has still not been sewn up.
Real have already completed the £60m move for Eintracht Frankfurt's impressive Serbian striker Luka Jovic, and the links with a move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba - who would cost over £100m - are more alive than ever.
And yet, while Zinedine Zidane is understood to be a big fan of the Frenchman, his number one target for this summer's rebuild remains Hazard, and there is still considerable hope that this will be fulfilled in the near future.
