Barcelona make first contact with Chelsea's Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard signing for Barcelona isn't only a very real possibility but it's also turned into the main objective for the transfer committee at the club. The coaching staff are enthusiastic at the chance of bringing in the Belgian star and last week the first contact between Barça and the player's representatives took place. The response was positive as they confirmed that Hazard wants to leave Chelsea this summer and the chance to sign for Barcelona is something which interests the player. The door to a move away is open and now it's time to talk with Chelsea, something which won't be easy.

The idea of signing Hazard has gained momentum following the failure to lure Antoine Griezmann to the Camp Nou. The new sporting department made it clear from the beginning that they should find a new strategy, although the priority remains to bring in someone of the highest level who could help in the middle of the pitch as well as further forward. Hazard became a clear alternative to the French man.

The deal is taking shape due to two key factors: Hazard is one of the few stars that could leave his current club this summer and Barcelona are increasing their transfer budget as they look to offload unwanted squad members. Paulinho's move to China was the one which allowed Barça to make contact with Hazard.

he wants to leave Chelsea

Barcelona spoke with Hazard's representatives to find out the player's intentions. Despite still being involved at the World Cup - Belgium were eliminated in the semi-finals - the footballer has decided it's the right time to leave Chelsea. He's only missing the perfect offer which would see him continue forward in his career. It's the sporting side of matters which is the priority for Hazard, he wants to win important titles and would love to play in La Liga.

The player's wage demands won't be an issue for Barcelona either. Hazard's wages will be high but not astronomical. Similar to Griezmann, the Belgian international would be willing to accept a significant wage up front with the rest made up of bonuses depending on how well he performs. The biggest obstacle to this deal happening is Chelsea as they don't want to be seen as a selling club. They want to retain their star man, although this would greatly depend on how hard Hazard pushes for an exit this summer.

Another danger to this deal is Real Madrid. Los Blancos, who lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus this week, appear to be focusing their interest on the PSG players Neymar and Mbappe. If they fail to land either one of those, which seems likely as PSG refuse to negotiate the sales of their stars, Hazard would then move to the top of Florentino Perez's wishlist. Barcelona are aware that if Madrid enter the race for Hazard it'll be very difficult to close the deal but, for now, things are moving in the right direction.