Chelsea are set to receive a financial windfall from Real Madrid due to the terms of Eden Hazard’s 2019 transfer.
Despite Hazard leaving Madrid last summer and subsequently retiring, the agreement continues to benefit Chelsea.
Real Madrid had agreed to a package worth up to £130 million when Hazard moved from Stamford Bridge.
Of this amount, £88 million was guaranteed, with an additional £42 million tied to various add-ons, some of which were not directly related to Hazard’s performance.
According to The Daily Telegraph, even though Hazard is no longer at Real Madrid, the club’s advancement to the Champions League final has triggered a £5 million add-on payment to Chelsea.
These add-ons remain valid because Hazard’s original five-year contract, signed in 2019, would have expired at the end of this season.
Hazard left Real Madrid by mutual consent last summer and retired a few months later.
Nevertheless, Madrid’s ongoing success continues to incur costs related to his transfer.
Chelsea clearly benefitted from the 2019 deal. They had signed Hazard for £32 million in 2012, and he delivered 110 goals in 352 appearances, helping the club secure six trophies, including two Premier League titles.
Selling Hazard at 28 yielded a substantial profit, particularly as he became one of modern football’s biggest transfer flops at Madrid due to persistent injuries.
For their significant investment, Real Madrid received only seven goals in 76 appearances from Hazard over four seasons. By contrast, he scored 21 goals in his final year at Chelsea alone.
This summer, the 33-year-old Hazard will return to Stamford Bridge as part of the Soccer Aid World XI, joining stars like Roberto Carlos, Diamond from the Gladiators reboot, and Tommy Fury.