Reports: Chelsea star ready to snub Real Madrid and join Barcelona

What’s the story?

Eden Hazard has set his sights on joining Barcelona according to Diario GOL. The Spanish publication reveals that the Belgian is sure of making it to the starting XI at Camp Nou and knows that he can play at his preferred left-wing position.

Zinedine Zidane has been tracking the Belgium international for a long time and he been trying to convince Real Madrid to launch a bid. With Barcelona in the market for a new attacker, Hazard has changed his priorities.

In case you didn’t know...

Neymar has decided to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The Ligue 1 side are set to activate his €222 million release clause and complete the move this week.

Hazard is one of the replacements Barcelona are keeping an eye on but face a tough task of signing him. He's currently recovering from his injury and will only be back playing in September or October.

The heart of the matter

Barcelona are looking to sign a replacement for Neymar and they have now set their sights on signing Eden Hazard. The Belgian has been a long time target for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are yet to make a move for him and Hazard has reportedly lost patience with them. Blaugrana want to take advantage of this situation and sign him up.

However, Chelsea are in no mood to sell him. They are not willing to negotiate with any club for the Belgian and are set to offer him a new contract.

Antonio Conte has reassured the Blues' faithful that Hazard is 'very happy' at the club and has said that he will be at the club next season. “In the past, I read a lot of stories about [Hazard going to] Real Madrid and now there is Barcelona. He is very happy to stay with us and to play for Chelsea," said the manager.

What’s next?

Barcelona will try their best to strike a deal with Chelsea for Hazard but are bound to fail. However, the Belgian might decide to leave the club and hand in a transfer request.

Author’s Take

It's difficult to see Hazard leaving Chelsea right now. He wants to win the Champions League at Stamford Bridge and he's very happy at the club too.

Moreover, his wish is to play under Zinedine Zidane and no one else. It's going to be Chelsea or Madrid for him, not Barcelona.