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Hazard waits for Chelsea signings before making contract decision

By Daily Sports on May 16, 2018

Eden Hazard has challenged Chelsea to match his ambitions by indicating his willingness to sign a new contract will be heavily influenced by the club’s moves in the transfer market this summer.

Chelsea have been trying to persuade the Belgium forward to sign improved terms for around a year and are willing to give him the most lucrative contract in their history worth around £300,000 a week.

Hazard, whose deal runs to 2020, is settled with his family in Surrey and expects to be at the club next season, when they will compete in the Europa League, but he will commit only if satisfied Chelsea have strengthened sufficiently to mount a challenge for the title.

Real Madrid have long been linked with Hazard, who has made no secret of his admiration for Zinedine Zidane, and Chelsea, who are expected to part company with Antonio Conte , would face the uncomfortable prospect of the Spanish club formalising that pursuit in the three-week period between the end of the English transfer window and that in Spain, on 31 August. Chelsea would resist a sale, conscious they would be unable to sign a replacement, but their stance would be undermined if Hazard’s head was turned.

The 27-year-old knows his next contract could well be the last in his prime. “That’s why I’m taking my time,” he said. “It’s something big, so I need to think about a lot of things. But one thing is for sure: I’m happy here.”

Asked to elaborate on the factors that would influence his decision, he added: “I’m waiting for new players next season. I want good players, because I want to win the Premier League next season.

“Like I’ve said many times before, I think the FA Cup final is not my last game for Chelsea. It’s the last game of the season, that’s it. After the World Cup then we will be ready for the next season. But, for me in my mind, I’m here. I have one week to play now. Saturday is a massive game, I just want to win, for me and them also.”

Hazard, who does not have an agent, declined to indicate when a decision on his future would be made.

Conte’s side are seeking to salvage a disappointing Premier League season, which culminated in a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday and a fifth-place finish, with victory against Manchester United at Wembley.

“We are Chelsea and we need a trophy at the end of the season and, at the moment, we have nothing,” Hazard said. “We have not qualified for the Champions League, so this season has been bad. Now we can save a little bit this season, with this trophy. So we will give everything.

“I don’t know [why it has been so bad this season]. It’s always hard after when you win the league. We saw that two years ago. This season was not good but you know – this is Chelsea. You never know what’s happening. But, no, I think this year we dropped too many points at Stamford Bridge. In this condition you can’t be in the top four, so it’s up to us now to save the season with the FA Cup.

“We’ve had bad games, but also played a fantastic game against Liverpool recently, so I hope for Saturday the boys will be ready like we were against Liverpool last week. If we play all together, we can do something, especially against Manchester United.” (The UK Guardian)

•Photo: Hazard in action

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 16, 2018