Hazard completes blockbuster move to Real Madrid

Eden Hazard is taking his boundless talents to the Spanish capital.

The worst-kept secret in football came to fruition Friday, with Real Madrid announcing the signing of the Belgian star to a five-year deal for a reported €100-million fee plus add-ons.

He'll be presented at the Santiago Bernabeu on June 13, after undergoing a medical.

After more than a year of speculation amid contractual impasses and repeated hints of an exit, Hazard joins Luka Jovic and Eder Militao as blockbuster Real acquisitions in the early stages of the summer transfer window. Hazard, Jovic, and Brazilian wunderkind Vinicius Junior could form a lethal front three next season as Real look to move on from veteran mainstays like Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

Hazard, 28, moves to the Santiago Bernabeu following seven successful seasons at Chelsea, where the dizzying dribbler twice won the Premier League to go with a pair of Europa League conquests and two domestic cups.

The Belgian winger is coming off yet another outstanding Premier League campaign in which he scored 16 goals and added 15 assists; he's one of just four players in league history to rack up at least 15 tallies and helpers in the same campaign.

Hazard said goodbye to the Chelsea faithful with one last enchanting performance in May, powering the Blues to the Europa League crown with a brace in the final.

Confirmation of the move comes on the same day the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that Chelsea has lodged an appeal against the transfer ban imposed on the club by FIFA.