I'm Eden to Chelsea! Blues beat City and United in race to sign £32m Hazard

Eden Hazard revealed on Monday night he would be joining Chelsea in a £32million deal - a massive statement of intent by the European champions.

Hazard announced on Twitter that he would be signing for Chelsea after weeks of talks with them, MAnchester United and Manchester City.

Tricky: Eden Hazard has led his suitors a merry dance

Conformation: Hazard says he will join Chelsea

The Lille playmaker, one of the most coveted players in Europe, will sign a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge once details have been finalised.

It is an amazing coup for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who has not even appointed a manager for next season but is intent on rebuilding a team that finished only sixth in the Barclays Premier League.

The deal is a clear indication that the west Londoners will challenge the might of the Manchester clubs, especially newly-crowned champions City and their Abu Dhabi owners.

Hazard, 21, is with the Belgium squad preparing for Saturday's friendly against England at Wembley. City pulled out of the deal for Hazard last week because of his incredible salary demands, which are close to £200,000 a week, and his agent John Bico's demands for £6m.

First choice: Hazard is demanding to be an automatic first-teamer at Chelsea

Decided: Hazard lets his followers know he's made up his mind

However, Chelsea are understood to have reached a compromise agreement with his representative.

Hazard will play in a new-look Chelsea attack that is purpose built by Abramovich for the next manager.

Juan Mata, Germany international Marko Marin, who will also be coming to Stamford Bridge from Werder Bremen in a £6m deal, and Hazard are being primed for the three advanced midfield positions to provide the ammunition for Fernando Torres.

New look: Marko Marin

Hazard came to prominence with Lille during their 2010-11 title-winning season and has just been named Player of the Year in France for the second successive season.

In an attempt to lure Hazard to Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson, who will now step up his attempts to sign Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, had offered him the famous No 7 shirt vacated by Michael Owen.

Instead the Belgian has been persuaded by Abramovich that his future lies at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's owner wants to reestablish them as the best team in the country and this is part of his plan to create one of the most attacking teams in Europe.

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR £32m

Name: Eden Hazard

Age: 21

Nationality: Belgian

International record: A27 G2 A8 (appearances, goals, assists)

League record Total:

P 147: G36 A34

11/12: P38 G20 A15

10/11: P38 G7 A10

Achievements:

Sept 2008: Becomes youngest goalscorer in Lille history

Oct 2008: Makes Belgium debut

17 May 2009: Named France's Young Player of the Year

May 2010: Becomes first player to retain Young Player of the Year award. Named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

May 2011: Named French Player of the Year after helping Lille to their first League and Cup double since 1946. Named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

May 2012: Named French Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich, who Chelsea beat in the Champions League final, have reacted to an agonising end to their season by moving for Edin Dzeko and vowing to compete with City for Javi Martinez.

Bayern officials initially distanced themselves from Dzeko, after Sportsmail exclusively revealed in March that City manager Roberto Mancini had decided to offload the former Wolfsburg striker at the end of the season.

They have had a change of heart, though, after deciding they need another proven finisher.

With the Bosnia striker recently accepting that his days at City were numbered, a return to the Bundesliga looks certain, provided Bayern can come close to matching a likely £20million-plus asking price.

Finance is unlikely to prove a stumbling block, after a clear signal that Bayern are ready to spend lavishly to reclaim their place at the top of German football.

Bayern buying a winner: Edin Dzeko will leave City as a champion

Sporting director Christian Nerlinger attended Friday night's Spanish Cup final in Madrid to check on the form of Martinez.

Meanwhile, Schalke are keen to sign Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, 26, on a free transfer.

Toxic honey farming is a real cliffhanger

Hunter ... ancient tribe scale mountainside to reach honeycomb

Caters

By JO SAYER

Published: 28th May 2012

AN ANCIENT tribe scale 250ft up a mountain and risk their lives harvesting honey from the world’s largest bee.

The Rai people, from Nepal, fashion ladders out of braided bamboo to access the prized nests of the Himalayan honey bee.

With no safety equipment, the "honey hunters" come under attack from swarms of the insects as they use a long stick to retrieve the honeycomb.

An adult male bee can get up to 3cm long — just smaller than a Cadbury Creme Egg.

Once the climbers locate the nest, the men spend a pain-staking four hours harvesting the honey by hand.

Photographer Eric Tourneret, 47, who followed a group on a rare trip, said: “It is very dangerous work.

Don't look down ... with no safety equipment, the tribe tie their feet to their homemade ladders

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“Many, many people die doing it. The practice is dying out as the bees slowly become extinct.

“It is now just a ceremonial thing as opposed to a day job.

“Even though the honey is probably some of the world’s most expensive, the Rai people refuse to sell it, instead sharing it among the four villages in their area.”

Swarm ... the world's largest bees attack as their nests are prodded

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Despite being one of the most sought after in the world, the honey — called toxic rhododendron — is poisonous thanks to a toxin in the pollen and nector of the rhododendron flowers used to make it.

It can cause agonising cramps if ingested unknowingly.

But the Rai people believe it has therapeutic healing powers, and leave their homes in the Bung valley every spring to brave the cliffs in the search of bees’ nests.

Pain-staking ... the honey takes four hours to harvest by hand

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They prefer not to sell the honey even though it reaches high prices in nearby South Korea.

Using sharpened bamboo poles to slice their way through the honeycomb, the catchers then drop it to the ground for other members to collect.

To prevent them from falling, their feet are tied to the homemade bamboo ladders.

Eric, from Paris, France, added: “I used one to climb up alongside the Rai people and photograph them close up.

Prize ... honeycomb is dropped onto the floor in a basket

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“Despite wobbling a bit, they feel a lot stronger than a normal metal one we use in the west.

“These people are very wise and know how to make nature work in their favour.

“Even though it is a dangerous activity, none of them looked at all fazed by the climb and process, having been taught the skill by their fathers and their grandfathers before them.”

Rare Aston sells for £1.23million

Rare ... Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Santion II Coupe.

Caters

By ANDREW SNELL

Published: 28th May 2012

A RARE Aston Martin has sold for a record £1.23MILLION at auction.

The vintage motor — a DB4GT Zagato Santion II Coupe — was once owned by the manager of rock star Phil Collins, and was just one of 46 cars which went under the hammer.

In total, sales at the specialist Aston Martin auction fetched a whopping £6.5million.

The second highest price was £611,900 for a 1962 DB4 Vantage Convertible.

Other famous Astons which went at the sale included a 1994 Virage Volante soft-top convertible once used by the Prince of Wales .

The royal motor sold for £122,000, having been estimated to sell for £50,000 to £70,000.

And a car once owned by world boxing champion Lennox Lewis — a 1994 Virage Limited Edition Coupe — sold for £18,290.

Pricey - 1994 Virage Limited Edition Coupe once owned by Lennox Lewis

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The auction — which attracted 2,000 people — was the best sale result for auction house Bonhams since it started the events at Aston Martin’s Works facility in Newport Pagnell, Bucks.

James Knight, International MD of Collectors Cars at Bonhams said: “This sale once again shows the steady rise of interest in Aston Martin cars that we have seen since we started these sales here.

“With only four DB4GT Zagato Sanction IIs made, this represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of these fabulous cars, which will become increasingly collectible.”

Sale ... 1985 V8 Vantage

Eden Hazard to join Chelsea

HERE I COME ... Lille forward Eden Hazard has revealed he is on his way to the Premier League

By MARTIN BLACKBURN

Last Updated: 29th May 2012

CHELSEA have won the race to sign Belgian star Eden Hazard in a £32million deal.

The Lille flier, 21, had been a top target for Manchester City and United.

But last night Hazard tweeted: “I’m joining the European champions.”

The capture of Hazard is a clear sign Blues owner Roman Abramovich will continue to pump money in following their glory night in Munich.

City were believed to be in pole position to sign one of the hottest young talents in Europe after watching him several times.

But they went cool on him as they were concerned about his £170,000-a-week wage demands plus the agent’s fee.

Hazard also made it clear he would like to play just off a frontman and City already have title hero Sergio Aguero in that position.

That made it a straight shootout between Chelsea and United — and Hazard has chosen the Blues.