Chelsea has demanded that Real Madrid pay a world-record price tag of 200 million pounds (224 million euros, 261 million dollars) for the transfer of Belgian footballer Eden Hazard to the Spanish club, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported that even though Real Madrid remains the favored destination for Hazard, the 27-year-old midfielder prefers not to push for leaving Chelsea, given that his current contract there expires in 2020.
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At the same time, The Times quoted Hazard as saying that "after six wonderful years at Chelsea, it might be time to discover something different."
"Certainly after this [2018 FIFA] World Cup [in Russia]. I can decide if I want to stay or go, but Chelsea will make the final decision — if they want to let me go. You know my preferred destination," he underscored.
Hazard is tipped to be one of the candidates to replace Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo who earlier left Real for Juventus for 100 million euros.
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At the 2018 World Cup, Hazard captained Belgium to third place. also receiving the Silver Ball as the second best player of the tournament. If Real finally okays the deal, Hazard will most likely outstrip Neymar to become the most expensive footballer in history.