Real Madrid end interest in Hazard to target Neymar

Bengaluru, February 19: Chelsea will reportedly breathe a sigh of relief as Real Madrid made Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar their No.1 summer target over their star winger Eden Hazard.

The Galacticos have long-been linked with a swoop for the Blues’ talisman, with Stamford Bridge chiefs bracing themselves to try and fight off a massive bid at the end of the season. However, reports in Spain claim that the La Liga giants have in fact set their sights on signing the world’s most-expensive footballer instead joining Manchester United in the hunt for the Samba star.

Their report states: “Neymar is understood to have encouraged Madrid’s interest and is set to be rewarded with an increase on his current net salary of more than £25m a year.”

PSG rocked the whole game when they forked out £198m to bring the 27-year-old Brazilian to France from Barcelona two years ago. But after the emergence of Kylian Mbappe into the elite level of the planet’s football stars, and with added pressure of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, a blockbuster move could be on the cards.

Since day one, Neymar never seemed settled at the Parc des Princes. By selling Neymar, PSG would not only recoup their huge outlay, they would also free up a huge chunk of space on their wage bill and that could have huge ramifications for both Chelsea and Hazard.

The Belgian is only under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2020 and he has made no secret of his dream to play for the Bernabeu club one day. But if Madrid could pull off an incredible deal for Neymar, then they would unlikely be able to meet the fee wanted by the Premier League side for their most-prized asset.

Hazard has been offered the most lucrative terms in Chelsea’s history to extend his contract but has so far resisted putting pen to paper.