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LONDON. — Maurizio Sarri says the £100m price tag touted for Eden Hazard is too cheap, but admits he is powerless to keep him at English Premiership football side Chelsea.
Hazard shone with both goals in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over West Ham on Monday night to send them third in the English Premier League, hours after it was reported by Sky Sports News that Real Madrid were increasingly confident of signing the Belgian in the summer.
Sarri says keeping Hazard will be difficult, but he believes in the current market the forward is worth more than £100m.
He told Sky Sports: “(£100m) is too cheap, in this market it’s too cheap. We have seen in the last market window every price I think. So I think it is really very hard to change Hazard with another player.”
Asked what power he has to keep Hazard at the club, Sarri conceded: “I cannot do anything (to keep him), because the club agrees with me, but if Eden wants to make another experience, it is very difficult to keep him, I think.
“(We will try to persuade him) that we are trying to improve, to become one of the best teams in England, and as a consequence in Europe, but I think I have to respect his decision.”
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Hazard himself was asked if the West Ham fans’ chants of “He’s off to Madrid” were true, but he moved to settle concerns. — Sky Sports
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter