Chelsea star Eden Hazard will reportedly depart the club at the end of the campaign, with Paris Saint-Germain said to have received encouragement about completing a deal.
That’s according to Le 10 Sport (h/t Tom Coast of Sport Witness) who claim those close to the player have advised the French champions he will "absolutely leave Chelsea at the end of the season." It's also noted in the piece that PSG will seek to sign Hazard and another two world-class talents.
With Chelsea languishing down in 13th spot in the Premier League table, it seems unlikely the Blues will be playing European football next season. And for a player of Hazard's ability, you wonder if that will be enough to keep him sated at Stamford Bridge.
As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka Football, since signing for Chelsea, Hazard has been a brilliant attacking outlet:
That was evident in the 2014-15 campaign when his majestic displays fired the Blues to the Premier League title. However, his performance levels have dropped off significantly this season along with a host of other Chelsea stars; remarkably, Hazard has yet to find the back of the net in a league match this term.
PSG would obviously be an attractive proposition for the player if he were to move, as the Ligue 1 giants are regularly winning trophies and challenging in the Champions League. They are a team who possess the financial clout to potentially get a deal over the line.
Chelsea may see a chance to recoup a massive fee for a player who is really struggling, too. As we can see, courtesy of WhoScored.com, the Blues have actually fared better without the Belgian this season:
Still, there's a world-class player in there somewhere, and with the right guidance, Hazard will recapture the kind of form that made him look such a wonderful footballer last season. With that in mind, even if they do receive a substantial offer from a side like PSG, it would be no surprise to see the Blues hold firm.
Chelsea should look to sign FC Twente's creative midfielder Hakim Ziyech, according to Heerenveen manager Foppe de Haan.
The 22-year-old has been playing superbly in the Dutch top flight this term, and against De Haan's side, he recently inspired a comeback win for his team with a goal and an assist. Prior to the contest, the Heerenveen coach claimed he would be an ideal fit for the Blues and Chelsea should be taking a look at him.
"If I were Guus Hiddink, I would have taken him at Chelsea in January," said De Haan, per Peter McVitie of Goal. "He fits Chelsea. With the solutions that he comes up with he is better than other players who are currently there."
Indeed, according to McVitie, Ziyech is "as good as Cesc [Fabregas] and Oscar." Here is a look at why so many are excited about his precocious talent:
Ziyech possesses all the qualities needed to go to the very top of the game. On the ball, the Moroccan is a very stylish operator, gliding across the turf, finding space with ease and able to knit play together tremendously. There is still room for improvement, but the Twente man is already a fine young playmaker.
As Ben McAleer of WhoScored.com noted recently, there's an end product to Ziyech's play at the moment, too:
Although the Blues are well stacked when it comes to creative midfielders, with the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Pedro all in the squad, it would be no surprise to see Ziyech on the club's radar simply due to his phenomenal natural ability.
However, there are still raw facets to his game, and to continue developing as a player, Ziyech needs regular first-team football. At most clubs in the Premier League, he would be afforded that luxury, but given the cast of attacking players aforementioned, with Chelsea, he would struggle to get the minutes he needs.
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