Story highlights
Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard reveals on Twitter he is to join English club Chelsea
The Lille midfielder had also held talks with Manchester City and Manchester United
Hazard won the French league title with Lille in 2011 and scored 20 goals this season
Chelsea announce goalkeeper Petr Cech has signed a new four-year contract
One of the hottest properties in European football, Eden Hazard, has ended months of speculation as to his future by announcing on Twitter he is to join Champions League winners Chelsea.
The 21-year-old Belgium international is poised to leave French side Lille and took to the micro-blogging site to reveal his next destination, though the London club haven’t yet confirmed the transfer.
Hazard won the French league title in 2011 and has scored 20 goals for the club this season. His form attracted attention from a host of clubs including English Premier League champions Manchester City and deposed rivals Manchester United.
After a cryptic message on Monday morning when he took to Twitter to announce he had made up his mind, Hazard then later posted: “I’m signing for the champion’s league winner.”
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Chelsea secured their first Champions League crown with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over German club Bayern Munich earlier this month.
It sealed a remarkable end to a difficult season in which Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas was sacked in March, just nine months after he arrived from Porto.
Villas-Boas’ assistant Roberto Di Matteo – a former Chelsea player – took over and led the club to two trophies, winning the English FA Cup two weeks before the Champions League final.
Despite his success, Chelsea are yet to confirm whether Di Matteo will stay on beyond his temporary contract, which expires at the end of June.
In a further boost for the club, goalkeeper Petr Cech, who saved three penalties in the Champions League shootout, has signed a new four-year deal.
The Czech keeper has already made more appearances than any other foreign player in the London club’s history, representing Chelsea 369 times.
Since joining in 2004 he has won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups. He was instrumental in Chelsea’s Champions League campaign.
“I am really happy to be part of this great club for another four years,” Cech told the club’s official website. “I hope the next four years will be as successful as the last eight years I have been at the club.”
Chief executive Ron Gourlay added: “Chelsea fully appreciates the highly significant contribution Petr has made to the most successful period in the club’s history, and it is very important to our aim of continuing this level of achievement that he has committed himself to the club until 2016.
“It is clear to anyone who watched the climax to the season just completed that Petr continues to perform as well as any goalkeeper in the world.”