Official: Real Madrid sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea

Real Madrid have announced the signing of Chelsea star Eden Hazard.

The player has signed a five-year deal with Real in a deal that is reported to be in excess of £88m.

A statement from Real said he “will be presented as a new player of Real Madrid on Thursday, June 13 at the Santiago Bernabéu” after he completes his medical.

The deal could reach or exceed £130m with the agreement of “significant” add ons.

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 the £130m fee 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.

Chelsea said in their statement that “Hazard leaves Chelsea as one of the great players in our history. He helped the team win the Premier League on two occasions, the Europa League twice and the FA Cup and League Cup once. He has been voted Chelsea Player of the Year on a record four occasions”

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: ‘Although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Eden and we made it absolutely clear to him the club wished him to stay, we respect the decision he has made to take on a new challenge in a different country and follow his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid.

‘The memories he leaves us with will not fade. He provided all who watched Chelsea play with great entertainment and many match-winning contributions, and for that we thank Eden enormously. He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club, a wonderful individual to have around and a joy to work with. We look forward to welcoming him back to Stamford Bridge in the future.’