Hot on the heels of reports that Antonio Conte has been sacked by Chelsea comes news of another possible departure from Stamford Bridge.
Spanish publication Sport reports that Barcelona have made the acquisition of Eden Hazard their "main objective" for the summer.
It's said that contact was made with representatives of Hazard last week and that the response regarding the move was positive. The 27-year-old apparently wants to leave Chelsea.
Barcelona have turned to Hazard as an option after Antoine Griezmann decided that he will remain at Atletico Madrid. It had appeared to be a given that the French international would move to the Camp Nou.
Money is being freed up for the Hazard deal by the offloading of unwanted players. Paulinho leaving on loan back to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande is the first of those to go.
BREAKING: Sky in Italy: Antonio Conte no longer @ChelseaFC head coach. #SSN pic.twitter.com/UoSf3AL80k
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 12, 2018
Hazard's current deal with Chelsea runs out in 2020. The Belgian said earlier this summer that he was delaying a decision on signing a new and improved deal with the club, stating that the quality of Chelsea's summer signings would be a major factor in whether or not he puts pen to paper.
Sky Sports have reported today that Barcelona have also made a second bid for another Chelsea player - Willian. £53 million is the amount mentioned.
Napoli's Maurizio Sarri is expected to be announced as Conte's replacement this week.
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