Eden Hazard has spoken about his near move to Ajax when he was not yet a teenager.
Eden Hazard is set to sign a contract extension with Chelsea in the coming weeks as the club look to tie down the extravagant Belgian for the long-term, after several links to other clubs in recent months.
It has been suggested that Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are both keen on the player – but Chelsea are certain they can convince their tricky maestro to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Hazard has of course been a long heralded talent. Chelsea fought hard to snap up Hazard from Lille back in 2012 – eventually shelling out £32 million on the player.
But fighting for his signature is not a new thing, in fact, it was happening to him when he was just 12-years-old.
In an interview with Voetbal International Hazard has revealed that, aged 12, he very nearly decided to go and play in Holland – with the mighty youth system at Ajax.
He says of his near Amsterdam switch:
“The Ajax offer was concrete, I remember. I was 12 years old and went with my then amateur team to a tournament at Standard Liege. I think I played quite well, because Ajax, one of the other participants, did some checking on me.
“Anyway, it ultimately did not happen. Two years later I went to the youth team of Lille.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
