Chelsea to replace Eden Hazard with either Coutinho or James Rodriguez

Editorial Team 6 years ago

Philippe Coutinho - Barcelona

Eden Hazard has his heart set on leaving Chelsea in the summer after spending 7 years at the English capital. The Belgian captain has been the central figure in Maurizio Sarri’s side sealing Champions League qualification this campaign and Chelsea would find it difficult to cope without the winger if their transfer ban doesn’t get lifted.

Chelsea are optimistic that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will rule in their favour and postpone their transfer ban. Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid for a figure of €100 million (£86m) has been reportedly agreed by both clubs and the transfer will be announced after the Europa League final.

Roman Abrahamovic has not spent a nine digit transfer fee for a single player since taking over Chelsea FC but that could soon change if Chelsea get their first choice target – Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona. Valverde and Messi have grown tired of the Brazilian’s inconsistency and want to replace him with a player of Salah’s quality. The Catalan giants are ready to accept a bid around £110 million – a sum significantly lower than the £142 million they paid to Liverpool for the same player a couple of seasons back.

Chelsea are also monitoring the situation around James Rodriguez. The Colombian International has reportedly fell out with Manager Niko Kovac and Bayern Munich are now not interested in a permanent move for James. The player is expected to return to Real Madrid after his loan spell at Bayern Munich expires.

Bayern Munich have the first option on James Rodriguez until June 15th but unless there is a managerial change at the German giants, there are little chances of a move materializing. The player is unwanted at Real Madrid after the return of Zinedine Zidane as Manager and Chelsea could sign the player for just £36 million if they manage to fend off interest from Juventus.

Juventus want James Rodriguez — Chelsea are monitoring James Rodriguez’s situation although Bayern Munich have the first refusal on the player until June 15th

James Rodriguez has scored 7 goals and bagged 3 assists from just 20 appearances in the Bundesliga this season while Coutinho, despite his higher price tag, has pocketed only 5 goals and 2 assists from 34 matches in La Liga. Barcelona fans have whistled at Coutinho in the last few home games and the Brazilian’s exit looks imminent.

Chelsea’s confidence in the Brazilian comes from his spell at Anfield and Sarri supposedly thinks Coutinho would fit his style of play at Stamford Bridge although he has struggled to please the fans at Barcelona.

Editorial Team

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LosMejor's Editorial Team includes a team of experts who cover the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. The Editorial team is headed by Deepak Selvan.