Real Madrid have announced the signing of Chelsea star Eden Hazard.The deal for Hazard is reported to be in excess of £88m.
Belgium captain, Hazard had one year left on his current deal with the Stamford Bridge club and had consistently expressed his desire to move to the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid had also been a long-time admirer of the forward, with manager Zinedine Zidane, expressing his appreciation for the player on numerous occasions.
Madrid approached Chelsea over the possibility of a transfer last summer but the Blues were unwilling to lose their star player.
They managed to however sign Hazard’s then-teammate at both club and international level, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
According to reports, Chelsea had been holding out for a fee in the region of £130m in part due to the player’s importance to the side and a two-window transfer ban that could leave the club unable to sign a replacement.
Hazard scored 21 goals and created 17 more as Chelsea finished third in the league and reached the finals of the Carabao Cup and the Europa League, winning the latter.
Following the Europa League final in which he scored twice and created one more as Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final, the player said it was his wish to leave Stamford Bridge.
“I think it is goodbye, but in football you never know,” the 28-year-old said after the final whistle in Baku.
The deal has now been confirmed by both clubs with the player set to travel to Madrid for his medical and official unveiling.