‘Hazard motivation not financial’

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Southampton manager Mark Hughes does not believe Eden Hazard is motivated by money after the Belgian revealed he is torn between staying at Chelsea and moving to Real Madrid.

Hazard says he is ready to discuss extending his deal with Chelsea, who intend to tie the 27-year-old down to a new deal.

However, the playmaker – who has two years remaining on his current deal – also admits he still dreams of joining Real.

Hughes could only watch on as Hazard inspired Chelsea to victory at St Mary’s on Sunday, and having swapped Manchester United for Barcelona as a player in 1986, the Southampton boss said the world’s best are always going to listen to offers from Spain.

“It won’t be a financial consideration, it’ll be about what he wants to achieve as a player,” Hughes told.

“Clearly at the level that he’s at it’s about trophies, about winning the big competitions. He has to make the decision whether or not he feels he can do that with Chelsea or if he’s better served going to one of the major giants in European football.

“RealMadrid has a certain charisma to it clearly, an attraction for lots of top players. If you do get the opportunity to go to one of those huge Spanish clubs, then you’re going to consider it. You have to accept that.

“But the Premier League, in my view, and when you listen to the foreign coaches and speak to them after the games, they say the PremierLeague is the best league in the world.

“You would be foregoing that, but you’d have the opportunity to play at a huge European club with a fantastic history and potential to win the biggest prizes in football.

“You can understand that he would consider it if it was offered. Maybe it has not been offered.”