Chelsea's new signing Eden Hazard has revealed why he turned down a move to Manchester United.
The Belgian was confirmed as the Blues' second new recruit after the capture of Werder Bremen winger Marko Marin.
Hazard was highly sought-after following two promising years playing for Lille in Ligue 1, where he was voted Player of the Year twice in succession.
Manchester City and Manchester United were all said to be in the running to sign the 21-year-old, who eventually opted for a move to Stamford Bridge.
"I've always said I wanted to play in England," Hazard told French radio station RMC. "There was a struggle between Chelsea and United but according to me Chelsea has the best project.
"The team is young and I have a better chance to play there. At 21 Real Madrid or Barcelona would have been more difficult for me.
"If I play well enough at Chelsea I could win my place in the starting team. When they won the Champions League I told myself 'why not Chelsea?'"
Hazard will officially become a Chelsea player when the transfer window opens on July 1.
Michael Penkman
