Hazard to Real Madrid: Emerson talks about the Belgian's WhatsApp group exit after Chelsea departure

What's the story?

Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri has revealed that he did not fully take in Eden Hazard's exit from the club until the Belgian brutally left the Blues' WhatsApp group with a short message.

In case you didn't know...

Hazard finally made his dream move to Real Madrid last week as part of Zinedine Zidane's massive reshuffle at the club to overturn the disastrous season the Spanish giants endured in the last year.

Following months of speculation and declarations of admiration, the Belgium international moved to Los Blancos in an £88 million transfer after helping the Blues to the Europa League title in his last game for the club. The side bested their London rivals Arsenal in the European final at Baku to secure a Champions League spot for the upcoming season.

The transfer leaves Chelsea in a discouraging position as the club currently faces a transfer ban making it immensely difficult for them to replace a player of Hazard's calibre. To make things worse, the club will also need to find a suitable replacement for manager Maurizio Sarri, who departed Stamford Bridge for Serie A giants Juventus.

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Also see : Copa America Standings, Real Madrid Transfer News.

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The heart of the matter

Emerson has revealed that the Chelsea players did not fully believe Hazard was leaving until he exited their WhatsApp group with a simple message.

The defender told ESPN Brazil (via Mirror Football), "On the WhatsApp group, the last move there was Hazard’s farewell. He said goodbye to the boys and such, since then, we don’t know anything else. It’s weird."

"He sent a ‘thank you, I love you guys’, and then it showed ‘Eden Hazard left the group’. I said damn, he really left."

What's next?

While Real Madrid continues their summer buying spree, Chelsea are currently looking at Frank Lampard as a potential candidate to take on the managerial role at the club.