Frank Lampard doesn’t know whether Eden Hazard will still be a Chelsea player next season but insists any possible move to Real Madrid has to be right for both the player and London club.
The Belgian mastermind has long coveted a move to the Bernabeu and Los Blancos’ re-appointment of Zinedine Zidane as manager this week has reportedly only re-affirmed Hazard’s desire to sever ties with Stamford Bridge – where he has been since 2012 – in the summer.
The 28-year-old’s contract with the Blues expires in 2020 but, with a reported move not happening as expected last summer despite a fruitful World Cup with the Red Devils, speculation mounts he will be off to the Spanish capital at the end of the current campaign.
“Eden is obviously a top player in world football, there’s absolutely no doubt about that, so the decision will always be for himself,” Chelsea icon Lampard told Sport360 recently via his partnership with Dubai-based nanoM – a state-of-the-art health assessment clinic located at the Golden Mile Galleria on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.
“Of course Chelsea will want to keep him because he’s a top player and of course other clubs are always going to want Eden Hazard because of where he’s at.
“But it has to be a decision that’s right for Eden and Chelsea while he’s contracted to them and that’s for them to work out. I don’t know what to expect, that’s for him and the club.”
The Guardian newspaper reported that the playmaker now has his heart set even more on a move to the Bernabeu after the Spanish club re-appointed Zidane as Santiago Solari’s replacement this week after a disastrous period that saw Real lose twice to Barcelona in quick succession as well as meekly exit the Champions League at the hands of a youthful Ajax side in the last 16.
According to the same article, Real “firmed up” their interest in Hazard just before the La Liga giants brought Zidane back.
If Hazard is to finally make his protracted move to Spain, he will follow in the footsteps of compatriot and former Chelsea team-mate Thibaut Courtois, after the goalkeeper headed to the Bernabeu last summer.
Derby County boss Lampard, who plundered 211 goals for Chelsea in 648 appearances – he is the club’s record goalscorer and fourth highest appearance maker – knows Hazard’s future is a concern for Blues coach Maurizio Sarri as well as the club’s fans, but says it wouldn’t be right to offer any advice to the player.
“I honestly don’t know. Advice is difficult and it’s not right to give it,” added the 40-year-old.
“I obviously know Eden and played with him, but I don’t speak to him about it at all, or on a daily basis anymore. With these things I think it’s always with the individual themselves and how they feel.”
