Mauricio Pochettino refers to Coldplay’s song to concentrate on the media problems in Chelsea’s press conferences. (1:26)
Chelsea will receive a bonus of around £5m ($6. 3m) as part of Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid, despite the former Belgian football winger’s retirement last October, a source told ESPN.
Hazard’s £130m move from Chelsea to Madrid in 2019 included a number of performance-related additions, one of which was due to Carlo Ancelotti’s side clinching the Champions League final next month against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
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Although the 33-year-old reached an agreement to end his contract last summer before announcing his retirement at age 32 in October, the club-to-club component of his contract remains active and Madrid owe Chelsea an additional payment.
Chelsea sources have insisted that the club is not involved in complying with the Premier League’s sustainability and benefits rules, however, their £1bn spending since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital finalised their takeover two years ago has left them with limited leeway this summer.
Hazard’s providence will therefore be welcome for the west London club as they look to reinvest in their squad, while Madrid will further question the cost of a deal for a player who has scored seven goals in 76 appearances in all competitions in his four seasons in Spain.