Chelsea are set to make Eden Hazard the highest paid player in the Premier League with a lucrative new contract.
The Daily Express have reported that the Belgian international will be offered a bumper salary of £300k-a-week. Hazard could sign the new deal when he returns from national team duty in a fortnight, and once all the terms have been agreed.
The contract will likely end the interest of Real Madrid, who have been long-term admirers of Hazard. The 26-year-old’s current deal sees him earn around £220k-per-week, and is set to expire in 2020.
But following confirmation of his extension, Hazard will be paid more than Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, who earns £290k-a-week.
The former Lille winger has only recently returned to full fitness after picking up an ankle injury while with Belgium at the start of the season.
Hazard was excellent in Chelsea’s 2-1 Champions League win against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano last week, but was left frustrated in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Manager Antonio Conte has urged Hazard to be more single-minded in front of goal.
“If he scores one goal, he’s happy and then, if there is another situation, he prefers to make an assist rather than scoring twice,” Conte said. “I see, for Ronaldo, that if he scores once he wants two, three, four. It’s the same for Messi.
“Yes, he can improve. At Atletico, he was important because he put the ball in for Alvaro to score our goal.
“It’s very important that he is important in every game for us, to make chances, to score or to provide assists for our players. Very important.”