Mauricio Pochettino could sign the next Hazard 2.0 in £129M move for ace who is the best in the world.

 Mauricio Pochettino could land Chelsea their next Eden Hazard if he gets this deal done.

OPINION|© Football Fancast

Vinicius Jr could be Chelsea's next Eden Hazard.

Chelsea endured a dismal campaign and are mired in a 12th-placed finish, but that has not stopped the rumour mill linking the prestigious Premier League outfit with Real Madrid prodigy Vinicius Junior.

What's the latest on Vinicius Junior to Chelsea?

That's following reports from Spain late last month, who claim that the Blues - alongside Manchester United and Newcastle United - are interested in luring the Brazilian phenom away from the Spanish capital for a staggering €150m (£129m) fee.

The forward has been one of the central figures behind Real Madrid's success over recent years, and new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino could craft one of football's greatest strike forces by clinching Vinicius Jr.

Madrid signed the 22-year-old from Brazilian outfit Flamengo for £38m in 2018, when he was just 16, but he has dispelled any doubt over his calibre and the feasibility of paying such a sum for a youngster with an ascent to the forefront of the game over the past few seasons.

How good is Vinicius Junior?

Vinicius has steadily ascended to prominence among Europe's very best over the past few years, and over the past two terms has exuded confidence and swagger at a level to reflect his placement as a first-rate member of an illustrious Real Madrid outfit.

Last year, when Los Blancos won both LaLiga and the Champions League under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, Vinicius plundered 22 goals and 20 assists; this season, with the Copa del Rey gleaned, the £348k-per-week star has scored 23 goals and supplied 21 assists from 55 games.

It is this level of breakneck brilliance that places him among the very best the game has to offer, with his manager hailing him as "the best in the world" after his outfit dumped Liverpool out of the Champions League this season.

Predominantly a left-winger, he could prove to be the heir to Eden Hazard's throne at Stamford Bridge, with the deft Belgian scoring 110 goals and providing 92 assists from 352 games for the Blues - notably winning two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues and one FA Cup - before departing for Madrid for a staggering £130m in 2019.

The 21-cap Brazilian phenomenon could most certainly replicate Hazard's feats, ranking among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 9% for rate of assists, the top 10% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Back in the day, more specifically the 2018/19 campaign, Hazard also ranked highly in these metrics, sitting in the top 2% for rate of assists, and the best 1% for both shot-creating actions and progressive carries compared to positionally similar players in the Premier League.

Praised as the "catalyst" for his club by Daniel Sturridge, Vinicius is still comfortably outside the prime years of his career, and with a move to Chelsea, he could prove his worth on English shores and serve as the focal point for a new era in west London.