Chelsea’s Eden Hazard may well have stated that he won’t be leaving Stamford Bridge come the January window for the bright lights, or should that be sun, of Spain and Real Madrid but the summer is obviously a completely different question.
Plenty of people have had their say when it comes to the 27-year-old and his future prospects of winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or and catapulting himself into the same worldwide notoriety as the likes of former Real Madrid player Ronaldo or current Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, and there are a number who don’t believe he needs to leave London to achieve that aim.
For those who like a flutter, the market on Hazard staying or leaving, and if the latter, who for exactly is going to be a tempting one come the summer, UK betting sites would probably be a good place to start if you’re tempted.
The player arguably holds a different viewpoint and a number of pundits don’t believe such a trophy will ever arrive in the English game so a switch to the Bernabeu, or similar, becomes a no brainer.
All of these things will undoubtedly have to be addressed come the summer, as whilst Hazard’s promise of no January departure will have been welcomed by fans, this isn’t a question that is going to go away any time soon and then it becomes about the potential future transfer fee that the club are happy to entertain in order to really give the player what he wants.
A departure seriously weakens manager Maurizio Sarri’s side and with Premier League title hopes remaining the aim for Roman Abramovic’s side, sourcing a suitable replacement for Hazard could, in fact, be the biggest test yet given his goals, assists, the fact he keeps Chelsea ticking over on the pitch, and even down to his ability to draw a foul for the benefits that brings to results.