Hazard REFUSES to leave Real Madrid

Stuart Telford

• 9 Mar 2023 14:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid want to sell Eden Hazard next summer but the player himself is reportedly having none of it.

Hazard was Real Madrid's record signing having joined from Chelsea in a deal that could eventually reach €146.1 million in the summer of 2019, but his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu has been an unmitigated disaster.

The Belgian has not tallied double-digit La Liga appearances since his maiden campaign, and he is yet to play a single minute of 10 possible Clasicos against Barcelona - the biggest fixture in Real's calendar.

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He is also the top earner in Madrid on €31.25m per year before tax, and the club understandably want to get him off their books before his contract expires in June 2024. Hazard has no intention of acquiescing, though.

"The Belgian arranged a meeting with his staff in Madrid in February to review his situation, although it was not clear a decision would be made there," report the Athletic.

"But Hazard and his team reached a consensus weeks ago and the 32-year-old wants to stay at Madrid for a variety of professional and personal reasons."

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Hazard doesn't want to give up his lucrative salary, but there are personal as well as professional reasons that he is digging his heels in.

Family factors

"His family are well-settled in Madrid and that is the forward's primary concern," continues Mario Cortegana's report. "One of Hazard’s sons, Leo, even joined Real Madrid's youth academy in the last month, as seen on the Madrid Football Federation (RFFM) website.

Hazard's value has plummeted to just €11.1m per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but reported takers are thin on the ground anyway, no doubt put off by the 32-year-old's astronomical salary expectations.

There are tentative links to Jose Mourinho's Roma or a return to the Premier League, but it is understood only a move to the USA and the MLS could tempt Hazard to part ways with Madrid before 2024.