When Eden Hazard headed through the exits at Chelsea during the summer of 2019, the expectation was that a move to Real Madrid would help to take his game to even greater heights. The Belgian was, for many, a Ballon d'Or winner in the making.
Seven years at Stamford Bridge had delivered over 350 appearances, more than 100 goals and six major honours, but Santiago Bernabeu would be the stage on which a standing among the global elite was cemented.
Said dream has become a nightmare. Hazard in the Spanish capital is a shadow of the performer he once was in the English equivalent. Could another change be on the cards? Should he look to retrace his steps?
Talk of a return to Chelsea being put in place comes as no surprise given the obvious links between ambitious club and former fan favourite. Does a move make sense, though?
Thomas Tuchel has turned the Blues of 2021 into Champions League winners and has them as 11/4 shots in Premier League winner odds from Paddy Power. Success is expected in West London, rather than longed for.
Hazard rejoining the fold would deliver undoubted quality to an already star-studded squad. Adding one of the best in the business to a fearsome attacking unit would earn favour in EPL betting tips and capture the imagination of a global audience.
Chelsea, though, are doing just fine without Hazard. Therein lies the problem for a man that would happily pack his bags in Madrid and write off a failed experiment if he were to be offered a suitable way out.
Could Chelsea return to Chelsea?
ESPN are among those to have reported that Real are sounding out suitors for Hazard. Questions are said to have been asked of Chelsea and whether they would be willing to consider a buyback option.Any hope of getting a positive response from Roman Abramovich and co. is likely to rest on putting a bargain bundle on the table. Hazard is no longer the €100 million asset he was when swapping the Premier League for La Liga.
Real will not want to take too big a hit on their investment, but they will also be aware that markets have changed since they acquired the Belgium international and that a sense of realism will be required in any further transfer talks.
Getting Chelsea to enter into those discussions may require movement out of Stamford Bridge, or at least the potential for departures.
Tuchel already has Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount at his disposal. Where would another playmaker fit into that pack?
Great finish @Benzema ⚽️Nice to see some old friends! 😉 pic.twitter.com/iiFNRtxOXv
— Eden Hazard (@hazardeden10) April 27, 2021
Sales would free up space and funds, with the speculation to be found regarding the respective futures of many of those mentioned above, but the Blues are building for the future and may feel that Hazard represents a step in the wrong direction.
For now, he needs Chelsea more than they need him. That is a situation which does not bode well for an injury-ravaged performer looking to prove that he is far from being finished.
