Sarri’s brutal honesty about Hazard future will have Abramovich ‘seething’, claims Neville after Chelsea boss says Real Madrid transfer can’t be stopped
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CHELSEA manager Maurizio Sarri has risked the wrath of Roman Abramovich after admitting it would be “very difficult to keep” Eden Hazard if the player wishes to leave.
His honest assessment is something Gary Neville believes will have the Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Hazard, 28, netted a double against West Ham at Stamford Bridge last night - with the first a wonder solo goal topped off with a rifled left footed finish.
After the game Blues boss Sarri told Sky Sports the club “agrees” with him that they must do everything to keep the Belgian - but admitted it could be out of his hands.
Sarri said: “I cannot do anything, I think, because the club agrees with me - if Eden wants to have another experience, it is very difficult to keep him.
“I’m sure the club doesn’t want to sell him. But, of course, we all have to respect his decision, I think.
“He’s in the last season of his contract. If he wants to have another experience, we’ll respect that. We’ll try, of course, in any way to convince him [to stay], but it’s not easy.”
His honesty was slammed by Neville, who claimed if he was the club's owner he would feel at a disadvantage from a negotiating point.
The former Manchester United and England defender, 44, said: “If I was the owner of the club or in the boardroom, I’d be seething from a negotiating point of view.”
With Hazard a year away from his Stamford Bridge contract expiring, the Belgian star has been consistently linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Chelsea News
Reports in Spain suggest a deal for Hazard to join the Bernabeu is set to be completed “within days” for a fee of around £100million.
However, Sarri claimed the reported £100m fee would not be sufficient.
He said: “£100m is too cheap in this market - we have seen in the last windows every price.”