Eden Hazard has revealed the exciting 'Chelsea project' is what convinced him to snub a move to Manchester United in favour of the European champions.
The Belgium international announced his decision to move to Stamford Bridge last week, but the club only confirmed the deal on Monday, revealing in a statement on their website that he was 'delighted to finally arrive, it's a wonderful club and I can't wait to get started.'
At the time of Chelsea's announcement, Hazard was giving an interview to French radio, during which he admitted he had been enticed by the opportunity to play as opposed to more the more competitive dressing room of United, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
He said: 'I’ve always said I wanted to play in England. There was a struggle between Chelsea and United, but according to me Chelsea has the best project.
'When they won the Champions League I told myself, "why not Chelsea?".
'The team is young and I have a better chance to play there. At 21 Real or Barca would have been more difficult for me. If I play well enough at Chelsea I could win my place in the starting team.'
He also told Chelsea's website: 'I'm delighted to finally arrive here, it's a wonderful club and I can't wait to get started.'
The club added: 'Chelsea Football Club are delighted to announce we have agreed terms with Lille for the transfer of Eden Hazard.
'The 21-year-old Belgian international has agreed personal terms with the club and [on Monday] passed a medical examination. He will join the club in July when the players return for pre-season training.'
Hazard, who was named Ligue 1 player of the year for the final two years of his stay in France, joined Lille in 2005 from Belgian club Tubize.
Last season, the forward scored 21 goals in 48 appearances, registering 18 assists, bowing out with first-half hat-trick in his final game.
Hazard earned his international debut as a 17-year-old in a game against Luxembourg and has gone on to collect 28 caps, the most recent of which came on Saturday against England, when he played aganist three new team-mates.
He is the fourth Belgian to join Chelsea in the last two years, joining Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.
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