Manchester City may be running away with the league title this season but manager Pep Guardiola is not totally convinced with the options at his disposal and has been busy in the current transfer market. The manager has reportedly completed the signing of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao but his team keep on getting linked with other star players.
One name that has bizarrely cropped up lately is Chelsea star, Eden Hazard.
Manchester City Want Eden Hazard:
A transfer target for Spanish giants Real Madrid, Eden Hazard will have just two years left on his current contract with Chelsea at the end of the season and the Blues are yet to convince him to extend his stay. It was understood that Hazard has his heart set on a move to Bernabeu but reports from Mirror now claim that Manchester City are ready to join the race for the Belgian playmaker in the summer.
Guardiola recently revealed that the wage structure will not be altered at the club, which means that they missed out on Alexis Sanchez earlier this month but at 27, Hazard is a more of optimum value and City are ready to spend up to £150m on him, which will be a transfer record.
He will also improve on his current wages and will be one of the highest paid players at City if he moves but should City go for Hazard?
Chelsea’s Biggest Asset:
Having joined the Blues back in 2012 from Lille, Hazard now stands as one of the best playmakers in the league, if not the best. He is widely regarded as one of the best in Europe as well and his record at Chelsea proves the same.
Having won a couple of league titles at Stamford Bridge, Hazard was instrumental in every success that Chelsea have tasted recently and is easily their best player at the moment. With 65 goals and 44 assists in 194 PL appearances, he may not be the most effective player in front of goal but he brings so much to the game, that he will be irreplaceable for Chelsea.
With great skill and mesmerizing dribbling, Hazard stands as the most fouled player in the league for more than a couple of years now and he has tormented every backline in England constantly. He can not only dribble past opponents and create chances but is also capable of coming up with goals in crucial times.
Do City Need Him?
At £150m, he is not too expensive, give what he brings to the side and City should not think twice before breaking their transfer record. Manchester City may not be in urgent need of such quality but to establish themselves as the best in Europe, it is signings like these that they need.
City have Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling making things look easy on the wings this season. Hazard may not be an upgrade simply on numbers but he is certainly a better player than at least one of those names. His signing will be a huge statement of intent but do you think Chelsea will sell to Manchester City?
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored