According to reports from ESPN and the BBC, Real Madrid and Chelsea have finally agreed to a transfer fee to send Eden Hazard from Stamford Bridge to the Santiago Bernabéu. The Eden Hazard transfer fee is being priced at $113 million, but that sum could rise to as high as $165 million should the 28-year-old Belgian attacker reach “realistic bonuses” along with additional payments that Real will make.
Since we’re talking about a man at the height of his prodigious powers who scored 16 goals and tallied 15 assists in 37 Premier League appearances last campaign, it’s pretty much a certainty that Hazard will meet any benchmarks put in front of him.
The signing of Hazard represents the fulfillment of manager Zinedine Zidane’s biggest summer wish. The transfer also takes Real’s summer spending to over $300 million following the additions of Luka Jović ($67.5M), Éder Militão ($56M) and Rodrygo ($50.5M).
There have been no departures, but exit rumors persist around the attacking trio of Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez.
For neutrals, the departure of Hazard from the EPL hurts, but his arrival in LaLiga is pretty damn spectacular. El Clásico can now be billed as Lionel Messi vs. Hazard, and it should be a mesmerizing battle between two of the world's best dribblers.
I’m now going to use this opportunity to share what’s perhaps by favorite individual performance of all time, that of Hazard vs. Brazil during the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. Hazard was unplayable on the day, a statement backed up by the fact that he attempted 10 take-ons and completed every single one of them.
Hazard's 10 take-ons were the most by a player with an 100% success-rate in a single #WorldCup game (since 1966).
You're a wizard, Hazard. pic.twitter.com/2JlpQlVopX— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 6, 2018