Chelsea Transfer News: Eden Hazard Told to Join Paris St-Germain

Gregory Coupet, former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, has added his voice to growing calls for Eden Hazard to forget the Premier League and return to Ligue 1 in 2014, saying it would be "magnificent" if the Belgian international were to join PSG.

Chelsea's star has been linked with Laurent Blanc's side on a regular basis in recent months, and former Parc des Princes figure Coupet appeared to be in full support of the transfer when speaking on French radio station RMC (h/t ESPN's Ian Holyman):

It would be magnificent. He's a great player who has taken on a whole new dimension since he went to Chelsea. He would also come to PSG out of love for the club, and he would bring in a few more supporters. It would be great. The sentimental argument would be the most important because he has everything he wants at Chelsea.

When you see how PSG play today, dominating possession, Hazard would be in his element. He's able to make others play well, but also has that ability to penetrate back fours. He's capable of taking on players and finishing things off. He'd be an extra weapon for PSG.

The Blues broke the bank when they brought Hazard to Stamford Bridge in a €40 million move from Lille in the summer of 2012. He has since gone on to establish himself as one of Chelsea's brightest stars.

Holyman notes an article from Le Parisien, which claims the 23-year-old told one of his Chelsea teammates prior to Christmas: "I'm almost certainly going to join Paris next summer."

Hazard is currently thriving in the English top flight and has helped Chelsea into contention for the Premier League title, where they currently sit just two points off league leaders Arsenal.

Squawka shows that the Belgian has created more scoring opportunities than any other player in the division this term, his tally of 49 equivalent to more than two key passes per game.

The wide man has asserted his own influence in front of goal, too, with eight goals to his name thus far in the league campaign, per Transfermarkt. 

PSG have brought in a bounty of the world's brightest talents since being taken over by Nasser Al-Khelaifi in 2011 through Qatar Investment Authority.

This season's attacking trio has consisted mostly of Zlatan Ibrahimovic teaming up with Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi, while the talents of Lucas Moura, Jeremy Menez and Javier Pastore have had to settle for time on the bench.

Hazard would certainly have the potential to break into that setup himself, and to help matters, ESPN's Jonathan Johnson confirms Hazard is a lifelong fan of the club, with PSG also willing to raise his wages:

All those factors would appear to run against Chelsea in this race, a club who are used to being on the dominant side of things when it comes to finances.

However, Hazard knows the Premier League still holds greater global appeal than Ligue 1, so if he wants to continue his bid to become one of the world's leading players, England and Chelsea remains his best option.

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