Chelsea lining up spectacular replacement for Eden Hazard
With Eden Hazard edging ever closer to a big money move to Real Madrid, Chelsea has its eye on Philippe Coutinho to replace him. This is according to Marca.
The 28-year-old Belgian delivered one final stunning performance for the Blues in Baku, scoring 2 goals and laying on an assist to win the Europa League for Chelsea.
Replacing him will prove to be a herculean task, made even more complicated by the transfer ban until July 2020.
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Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool last January for a mammoth fee of €142 million. In spite of providing some exciting moments for the Blaugrana, the Brazilian has largely failed to live up to his huge billing.
There have been plenty of rumors doing the rounds in recent months that Barca is keen on unloading him. The usual suspects such as Manchester United and PSG have been linked with a move, but Barcelona has not received any offer yet.
Although Coutinho will not come cheap (Barca reportedly wants €160 million for him), he could be a perfect replacement for Hazard.
The Brazilian has a very similar style of play, often operating from the left wing, but in a playmaking role. He also likes to drift inside and let loose one of his trademark long-range efforts, or pick out the runs of teammates. A return to England and the Premier League might be exactly what he needs to re-ignite his career.
While Chelsea does have a new winger in Christian Pulisic joining the squad from Borussia Dortmund, there will be concerns regarding the age of Willian and Pedro, who are both into their thirties now.
A lot will be riding on the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who could lift the transfer ban and allow Chelsea to sign players this summer.
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Meanwhile, Eden Hazard has been pictured posing with a Real Madrid shirt ahead of his imminent move to the Spanish capital. The fee is rumored to be in the region of £115 million, which would make him the third most expensive player of all time.