Chelsea are set to land a bonus in the region of £5 million ($6.3m) as part of Eden Hazard’s transfer to Real Madrid, despite the former Belgium winger retiring from football last October, a source has told ESPN.
Hazard’s £130m transfer from Chelsea to Madrid in 2019 contained a number of performance related add-ons, one of which was triggered by Carlo Ancelotti’s side reaching next month’s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Although the 33-year-old reached an agreement to terminate his contract last summer before announcing his retirement at the age of 32 in October, the club-to-club element of his contract remains active and therefore Madrid owe a further payment to Chelsea.
Sources at Chelsea have repeatedly insisted the club are not concerned about complying with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules but their £1bn outlay since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover two years ago has left them with limited headroom this summer.
The Hazard windfall will therefore be welcome for the west London club as they seek to invest in their squad once again while Madrid will further question the value of a deal for a player who scored seven goals in 76 appearances across all competitions during his four seasons in Spain.