Chelsea to land playmaker Hazard for £32m

LONDON — Eden Hazard has announced that he is set to sign for Chelsea. The 21-year-old Lille playmaker will join the newly crowned European champions for £32m on a five‑year deal worth £100,000 a week after tax. “I am signing for the Champions League winner,” Hazard, 21, said on his Twitter feed (@hazardeden10).The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, who does not have a permanent manager at the club, drove the purchase personally, in what is a stunning statement of intent.The fee and package for such a young player is eye-watering but Chelsea’s coup is also reflected in their having seen off strong competition from the Premier League champions, Manchester City, and the runners-up Manchester United – who were, by some distance, England’s most consistent clubs last season. Chelsea lagged 25 points behind the pair and Abramovich is determined that his club will mount a more sustained domestic challenge next season. In outmuscling the Manchester clubs for Hazard, he has demonstrated the clout and desire that marked the early period, in particular, of his nine-year Stamford Bridge stewardship.Abramovich wants to build on the success of winning the Champions League and FA Cup with a squad capable of playing the attractive football he craves. His other marque target is Hulk, the Porto and Brazil striker. Hulk has a €100m buy-out clause in his contract but he could more reasonably be expected to cost in the region of £30m.

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Chelsea to land playmaker Hazard for £32m