Eden Hazard is now – officially – a Real Madrid player
Eden Hazard has left Chelsea and moved to Real Madrid, in news that will shock absolutely nobody.
👉 #WelcomeHazard pic.twitter.com/ph6fXHpakp
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 7, 2019
The La Liga giants have confirmed the transfer in an official statement, with the Belgian signing a five-year contract at the club until June 30, 2024.
He will be officially presented as a Real Madrid player on June 13th at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid have confirmed Hazard. https://t.co/gVhIDQqoKy
— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) June 7, 2019
The transfer fee is believed to be around the £100 million mark, with the Mirror reporting that the figure is £88 million initially, but with add-ons, could amount to £130 million.
Hazard has made no secret of his wish to eventually end up at Los Blancos, with one of his close friends and international colleague, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke, admitting that the former Chelsea winger had told him it had always been his ‘dream club’.
“Eden and I have known each other since we are young boys,” Benteke said. “He always told me that Real Madrid is his dream club. His choice has therefore been made for a long time.”
Real Madrid have officially announced the signing of Eden Hazard on a five-year contract pic.twitter.com/t3vPuhAZe2
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) June 7, 2019
The move puts end to speculation that has been ongoing since last summer, with Hazard publicly admitting his admiration for Zinedine Zidane and most recently telling reporters after Chelsea’s victorious Europa League campaign:
“Now maybe it is time for a new challenge. Like I said last year after the World Cup but it didn’t happen. So now it’s between both clubs. So I will see. I am still waiting, like you are waiting, and the fans are waiting. So we will see in a couple of days.”
It is Real Madrid’s third major transfer so far this summer, following the €50 million (£44.5m) signing of Porto defender Eder Militao and €60 million (£53.4m) purchase of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Serbian wonderkid Luka Jovic.
Lyon left-back Ferland Mendy is also heavily rumoured to be on their wishlist as the club seek to bounce back from a disappointing campaign both in Europe and domestically.
