Eden Hazard confirms he will sign new Chelsea contract and confirms Thibaut Courtois will also agree new deal
Chelsea midfielder confirms his future plans while appearing at NBA London
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Eden Hazard has revealed that both he and Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will sign new contracts with the club to end talk of moves to Real Madrid and commit their future to the Premier League side.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has been repeatedly linked with a move to Spain after developing into one of the Premier League’s best players, having won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award back in 2015.
The Belgian joined Chelsea from Lille back in 2012 and has helped the club to two Premier League title successes in 2014/15 and last season, but his rise to prominence has caught the attention of clubs such as Real, who have made their interest in Hazard clear.
The Independent revealed last month that Hazard would consider a move to Real – but only if manager Zinedine Zidane remained in charge due to his desire to work with the Frenchman.
However, appearing at the NBA London match on Thursday night at the O2 Arena to watch the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-103, Hazard confirmed that he will sign a new deal with Chelsea and will follow teammate Courtois, who is out of contract next year.
“Yes, I think Thibaut first. Then I will sign,” Hazard told The Mirror.
Hazard’s contractual situation is not as pressing as Courtois’ as he still has two years left to run on his current deal as opposed to the goalkeeper’s one. Appearing at the NBA with his international teammates, Manchester City duo Kevin de Bruyne and Benjamin Mendy, as well as Chelsea colleagues Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen and Courtois, Hazard appeared in relaxed mood even though he is currently on a run of scoring just one goal in his last nine matches.
That said, he has still contributed nine Premier League goals this season along with four assists, which sees him stand behind only Alvaro Morata as the club’s leading goalscorer this season, and Chelsea are believed to be ready to reward Hazard with a deal worth around £300,000-a-week, which would make him the highest-paid player in the Premier League.
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