Chelsea identify Hazard replacement from Premier League rivals

Chelsea have earmarked Manchester United forward Anthony Martial as the ideal replacement for Eden Hazard, claims The Times.

Hazard is widely expected to join Real Madrid this summer in a blockbuster deal worth more than £150m and Chelsea will need to sign a replacement.

Chelsea have only signed Jorginho from Napoli this summer and time is running out to bolster their squad ahead of the new season.

The Blues have been heavily linked with a move for United forward Martial all summer and have finally identified the France international as their top candidate to replace Hazard.

Martial has rejected an improved contract from United and his agent has confirmed his client wants to leave Old Trafford after running out of patience with Jose Mourinho.

United are set to trigger their right in Martial’s existing contract to an extra 12 months, which would effectively tie down the 22-year-old until 2020. 

While Martial does not feature prominently in Mourinho’s plans, United chief executive Ed Woodward is desperate not to sell the talented Frenchman.

United would be aggrieved to sell Martial to a direct Premier League rival, but German giants Bayern Munich are also ready to move for the starlet.

With Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both coming to their end of their careers, Bayern need to bolster their wide areas and believe Martial is perfect for the club.

Martial has only started 36 of a possible 76 league matches under Mourinho and his best performances have tended to come from the bench.

In fact, no player scored or assisted more Premier League goals as a substitute than Martial last season (6).