Real Madrid still almost €50m short of Chelsea’s asking price for Eden Hazard — report

Eden Hazard may or may not be ready and willing and wanting to join Real Madrid — he says to shut all eyes and ears until after the Europa League final — but in the meantime, the two clubs apparently are continuing to wage war in person and in the media over a transfer fee.

Real of course don’t want to get fleeced by Chelsea, not with Hazard’s contract expiring in twelve months. But Chelsea have no real incentive to make things easy for Real either, and have made seemingly made it quite clear that the asking price will have to be met for anything to actually happen.

It’s a bit of a game of chicken, though with both Eden and Zidane pushing for a swift(er) resolution. Who will blink first?

If the Telegraph’s latest dispatch is correct, it probably won’t be us (i.e. Marina Granovskaia). She seems quite happy to have made a stand on the transfer fee, drawing a line in the proverbial sand “at around £130m, including bonuses”. According to the reports, Real’s highest offer so far is only £88m (€100m). So they’re only about €50m short!

Pay up, or go away.