After an extra day of vacation, requested over the phone and granted permission for by Sarri, Eden Hazard is back in London today and set to join Chelsea training for the first time this season.
The Real Madrid “dream move” is back where it belongs, on the backpages, in the rumor mill, on the top shelf of cabinet behind at least a €200m lock and key.
That’s the word from HLN’s Kristof Terreur, who’s normally the first and final word on any one of the Premier League’s Belgian contingent.
Se queda.
Eden Hazard is back in London and will return to training today.
No dream move for him. Chelsea are still reluctant to sell him (to Real Madrid) and have never ever been open for negotiations or talks. And time has ran out. #cfc pic.twitter.com/wo8FYufPi9
— Kristof Terreur ?? (@HLNinEngeland) August 6, 2018
“Se queda”, referencing the infamous social media post by Gerard Pique of Neymar, shortly before Neymar shocked the world by moving from Barcelona to PSG last summer, does give a bit of a pause, but as Terreur confirms, despite all the words and all rumors, Real Madrid never actually bid for Hazard, and there certainly have not been any negotiations.
Real themselves may be on a sudden youth kick, and while Eden’s father has stirred the pot on a few occasions, and Eden himself decided to tease a possible change, there wasn’t really any more palpable danger of Chelsea losing him this summer than any of the five summers that have come before.
Of course, the Spanish transfer window is open until August 31, so they can sign players through the end of the month, but that’s probably a bigger factor in the Courtois situation.
With Hazard back at Cobham (as well as all the rest of the missing six from the World Cup final four), much needed tactical and conditioning work on the training ground can commence.
For Hazard, there are in addition the promised face-to-face talks with Sarri, and the small matter of that pesky contract extension.
The £300k/week offer, the highest in Chelsea history (just slightly more than the £290k reportedly offered to N’Golo Kanté), is still on the table and is just waiting to be signed, just as it has been for over a year if not longer. Maybe this time?
In any case, welcome back Eden, N’Golo, Michy, Olivier, Thibaut, and of course, Captain Gary Cahill. There’s been a few changes y’all need to be aware of…