Eden Hazard has been urged to move to Real Madrid in order to take his game up to the next level by former Barcelona star Rivaldo.
The Belgium winger was heavily linked with Madrid in the summer and sources believe that Hazard will continue to stall over signing a new Chelsea contract in hope they will renew that interest at the end of this season.
The 27-year-old has been in a rich vein of form recently and leads the scoring charts in the Premier League with seven goals, but Rivaldo believes he would flourish even more in Spain.
Rivaldo told Betfair:’The Belgian attacker is a great player and could be a very good option for his ‘dream club’ Real Madrid in the next transfer window. Hazard was excellent for Belgium at the World Cup and has started the new Premier League season very well.
‘For th at reason, Real Madrid should be considering his signing, especially given their recent poor form and Hazard’s stated desire to play at the Bernabeu.
‘This kind of move could be good for the club and fans, as the arrival of a top player would give a much needed boost after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. Hazard is very talented, scores goals and assists a lot – he’s a spectacular player who I particularly appreciate.
‘In my opinion, Hazard could play even better at Real Madrid than in England as Spanish football gives a little more freedom to the players. So if he is already producing masterpieces in the Premier League, he could get even better in Spain.’
Hazard, whose contract has just 20 months to run, ruled out leaving Chelsea in January on Thursday, but conceded that he may need to move to Spain eventually if he wants to win the Ballon d’Or prize.
History tells us that two players operating outside of Spanish club football have won the coveted award in the past 13 years and a mischievous Hazard, who is on international duty with Belgium, agreed he would have to move.
When that was put to him, he replied: ‘That’s why I want to go, maybe… but I have already said a lot about my future. It is not an option to leave in January.’