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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Liverpool's Champions League defeat hands Chelsea a tidy financial windfall

Chelsea watched on as Liverpool were beaten in the Champions League final which landed them millions.

The Blues were unable to defend their European crown as they were knocked out by eventual winners Real Madrid in the last eight. Los Blancos claimed a fourteenth success in the competition thanks to Vinicius Jnr's second-half strike at the Stade de France.

One Eden Hazard was on the bench in Paris, where he remained for the Spanish giants. The Belgian is into his third season at the Bernabeu following a mega-money move from Chelsea. Hazard cost Real an initial £88.5m with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to £130m.

One of the add-ons was based on Real winning the Champions League, meaning the Blues earned themselves a welcome £15m bonus without even playing. The Belgian's stock has fallen dramatically, so much so that he is far from a regular started under Carlo Ancelotti.

Hazard made just three appearances in Europe this term but the player has underlined his commitment to the club. He told HLN earlier this month: “The coach knows that I still have a contract until 2024. My first three seasons at Real have not gone well, so I want to show everyone what I can do. Starting with this Saturday. It has always been a dream to play for Real. It still is.”

That extra cash will be welcomed as Thomas Tuchel prepares for a huge summer under new owners. The German will wave goodbye to Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer whilst Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpiliceuta could yet follow. It leaves Chelsea desperately needing defensive reinforcements as they look to close the gap domestically on the likes of Liverpool.

Liverpool were narrowly beaten in the Stade de France (Getty Images)

Have Your Say! Where will Chelsea finish next season? Tell us what you think here.

Jules Kounde is being heavily linked with the Blues, who have long had an interest in the Sevilla defender and made moves to sign him previously. That transfer could be the first of the Todd Boehly era as the American closes in on an official takeover from Roman Abramovich.

The club said recently: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm that a final and definitive agreement was entered into last night to sell the club to the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium. It is expected that the transaction will be completed on Monday. The club will update further at that time."

Abramovich has issued a departing statement, saying: "It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club - I would like to thank all the Club's past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years."

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