Eden Hazard has announced via his Twitter account that he will join Chelsea this summer

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. 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.

Eden Hazard’s Last  Decision

Hazard had previously indicated he would be making a move to one of the Manchester clubs, before admitting interest from the UEFA Champions League winners had made him think twice.

“Chelsea makes you hesitate,” he told Canal+ last week. “They’ve won the Champions League and they’ll be in it next season.”

Concerns over playing time at City may also have been a factor in the player’s decision, especially given that the Stamford Bridge outfit have already begun overhauling their squad.

Hazard said of Chelsea: “They have great players and I always said I wanted to be playing.

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