Chelsea have drawn Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final, handing Eden Hazard a second audition for a highly-sought-after place in Thomas Tuchel's first-team. The Blues will welcome Carlo Ancelotti's side to Stamford Bridge on April 6 for the first-leg before travelling to the Santiago Bernabeu on April 12 for the return fixture.
Real Madrid and Chelsea will be locking horns as they did last season when the two sides met in the semi-final. Tuchel's side held Los Blancos to a 1-1 draw before running riot in west London, booking a seat on the plane Porto in May against Manchester City in the final.
Hazard played 114 minutes across the two legs against Tuchel's side and ultimately failed his audition despite his best efforts. Hazard, whose return to Chelsea was reportedly spearheaded by Roman Abramovich, has since struggled to force himself into Ancelotti's plans; Vinicius Junior's mouth-watering rise to superstardom has hampered the Belgian's opportunities.
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The Russian billionaire was thought to be a keen believer that Hazard could rekindle his status as one of the world's best players if he were to return to west London, according to Spanish outlet El Nacional in November. The report claimed that Chelsea had even outlined a fee of £34m for the winger.
However, following the UK Government's decision to sanction Abramovich, the rumour mill that had spun the story regarding the Blues' interest has since slowly come to a halt. Marca later reported in January that Tuchel's side was no longer in the race for Hazard's signature, who has since looked to remain with Madrid until the summer.
With new ownership set to take the helm at Stamford Bridge in the near future, the 31-year-old has the chance to win over new owners and reignite Chelsea's interest with a dazzling display in the Champions League quarter-final. But, the prospect of the Belgian walking back through the doors of Cobham as a player looks to be hanging from a thread.
While meeting Blues fan Frank Khalid at the Real Madrid training ground in December 2019, Hazard, who enjoyed an incredibly successful seven seasons at Stamford Bridge, scoring 110 goals in 352 games, said he would return one day.
He said: "When I finish here, I'll come back."
Now, that's a comment to savour. Only time will tell.
