Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has not yet given up hope of landing Eden Hazard, the much coveted Belgium midfielder, despite his £32.3 million price tag and competition from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Although the 21-year-old was thought to face a choice between the European champions, the Barclays Premier League champions and their deposed rivals this summer, Frédéric Paquet, the Lille director, alluded to a “fourth” team who had made their interest known to the French club and the player in recent weeks. That side, The Times has learnt, is Arsenal.
Wenger has long monitored Hazard’s development at Lille, with whom the player won the French league and cup double last season, but has played down in recent weeks the prospect of a costly recruitment drive to strengthen his squad this summer.
The Frenchman, though, has about £35 million in funds earmarked last summer for Mario Götze, the Borussia Dortmund playmaker, at his disposal, and it is thought that he would be prepared to spend that money on Hazard if he thought that he could tempt the Belgian to spurn West London and Manchester for the Emirates Stadium.
Hazard is expected to announce a decision on his future before Belgium’s friendly with England at Wembley on June 2. All of his suitors are believed to have agreed to match Lille’s fee and offered the player personal terms.
Lille, impressed by Hazard’s loyalty last summer and aware of their responsibilities to their two-times player of the year, have granted him several weeks to choose his future employers. Central to those talks between player and potential suitors has been the issue of where Hazard will play and how he will be used. It is understood that it is that issue that has formed the crux of his conversations with Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini and their rivals for his signature.
Hazard’s representatives insist that his wage demands are not as exorbitant as has been suggested. City have vowed not to offer more than £110,000 a week, a sum Arsenal — who have offered captain Robin van Persie £130,000 a week in an attempt to keep the Dutchman at the club — could easily match.
