Eden Hazard: Chelsea forward rules out January switch to Real Madrid
Last updated on .From the section Chelsea
Eden Hazard says he will not move to Real Madrid in January, but agrees he might need to leave Chelsea to win the Ballon d'Or.
The 27-year-old attacker said earlier this month that joining Real had been his "dream since I was a kid".
Asked if he needed to play in Spain to win the game's top individual awards, Hazard smilingly replied "that's why I want to go, maybe".
The Belgian denied he would move in the January transfer window, however.
Hazard's contract at Stamford Bridge expires in June 2020 and reports in Spain claim Real Madrid are hopeful that Chelsea may sell at the end of this season for £70m rather than risk losing their star player a year later.
Real signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea in August for a reported £35m as the goalkeeper's contract entered its final year.
Hazard is the Premier League's top scorer with seven goals so far this season. That is as many goals as Real Madrid as a whole have scored in La Liga this term, with the European champions apparently struggling to adapt to life under new manager Julen Lopetegui and without forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Juventus in July.
Hazard, who was shortlisted for the men's award at the recent Fifa Best awards but failed to make the top three, was asked if he was the best player in the world on form. "Yes," he replied.
The forward has been at Chelsea since signing from Lille in 2012, scoring 76 goals in 216 league appearances.
Comments
Join the conversation
Hazard is a great player
media just leave him alone please
if he wants to stay at Chelsea fair play
if he wants to leave Chelsea in the future fair play
media should try just reporting the news rather than trying to make the news
He might also need to become a better footballer to win the Ballon d'Or.
If Madrid want him that badly they will cough up the cash
As for Hazard, he has done his service at Chelsea, helped them win 2 league titles. They should be thankful. Time to move on. Hope they treat him better than Bale, Owen and many other "bench-warmers".
Majority of players at his age and current form would not think twice if they had the same opportunity ...lets wait and see.
Front line needs some investment, with the players producing, bar Hazard, all over 30. Rest of the team looks solid right now.
You sure? 2007-8 Ronaldo scored 42, won PL and CL and won the Ballon D'Or while playing for United. An English team, unless I'm mistaken.