Hazard: I'll wear blue next season

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 by ESPN

Lille midfielder Eden Hazard hinted that he could join Manchester City after stating he will "definitely" be wearing a blue jersey in the coming season.

The two Manchester clubs are fighting both on and off the field and Hazard appears to be one of the key components of that battle. The Belgian playmaker has been lauded as Europe's brightest talent and is highly rated by a number of scouts across the continent.

He has received scouting visits by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini and Arsenal's France scout Gilles Grimandi.

With many clubs eager to finalise their deals before the upcoming EURO 2012 tournament, the English clubs are keen to tie him down on a contract at the soonest possible date.

The 21-year-old returned the compliment by the two head coaches from Manchester by attending the crucial title deciding match at the Etihad Stadium last week. He witnessed how City were able to defeat the Red Devils and go level on points at the top of the table and the performance appears to have impressed the Ligue 1 player.

When asked on whether he prefers red or blue, Hazard told Canal+: "I like both. They're both nice colours. I think they both suit me."

But he later reconsidered his answer and added: "The blue, it's the blue that I'll be wearing next season. Definitely the blue."

Lille's home kit is red in colour while their away kit is largely white with a stripe of blue across it but it is clearly City's famous sky blue jersey that the player is alluding to.

Tottenham and Chelsea are also said to be admirers of the young midfielder and there could be a fierce bidding war between all the sides involved in the summer period.

Lille stand to benefit the most from all the attention on their star player and a figure of at least £30 million has been reported as being required to prise the player away from the club.