Chelsea not to fight for Lille star Hazard

Chelsea will not be drawn into a bidding war with Manchester City for £30 million-rated French playmaker Eden Hazard, according to The Sun.

Despite being richer by their £50m Champions League jackpot, the Blues will be cautious in their approach during the summer transfer.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost Sergio Aguero to City last summer after they refused to meet the brilliant Argentine striker’s £200,000-a-week wage demands.

Now they are engaged in a tug-of war with Roberto Mancini’s team for Lille’s Hazard.
 
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: “There are a number of targets out there and we will make every effort to make sure they come to Chelsea.
 
“But with financial fair play about to come into effect, we will have a valuation on a player and if we can’t make that work we will drop out."

Gourlay did not rue missing out Aguero who went on to score 30 goals in City’s first League title-winning campaign since 1968.

He was confident £50m flop Fernando Torres will come good this season and live up to his billing.

"I’ve no doubt that Fernando is a world-class centre-forward for Chelsea. He’s a very, very important player and you will see him scoring many goals for us next season. I’m not at all worried by his form this season because we’ve just won the Champions League and Fernando Torres played his part in that," he said.
 
He left to whoever was the new coach to find a replacement for Didier Drogba.
 
“It’s up to the coach whether we sign a replacement for Drogba. But let’s not forget that we already have Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge, who likes to play through the centre as well," he said.
 
“Next season we may well have two big-name centre-forwards scoring 25 to 30 goals for us. Maybe then we will improve on our sixth position in the league,” he added.

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Hazard may snub Manchester clubs 

Lille star Eden Hazard admitted on Sunday that Chelsea's Champions League triumph had made him reflect about which club he wants to join this summer.

Hazard played his final Lille game on Sunday, claiming a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Nancy, and he had been expected to announce which of the two Manchester clubs he had agreed to join.

However, he revealed that he was still to make a decision about his future.

"As long as I've not put pen to paper, I won't say where I'm going," the Belgian international told Canal+.

"Chelsea makes you hesitate. They've won the Champions League and they'll be in it next season.

"For now, nothing's been decided, but it will be soon. Now I want to join up with the national team and then go on holiday. It'll do me a lot of good."

Hazard's treble - his first in the French top flight - took him to second place in the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 20 goals for the season.

Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time on Saturday after beating Bayern Munich on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the final at Bayern's Allianz Arena.

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