Thorgan Hazard has signed for Borussia Monchengladbach from Chelsea on a permanent deal.
Hazard, 21 -- the younger brother of Chelsea midfielder Eden -- joined the London club in 2012. However, the attacking midfielder has since been loaned to Belgian side Zulte Waregem, where he was named the Belgian Player of the Year, for two seasons and Gladbach, where he impressed before putting pen to paper on a contract until 2020.
"Thorgan has already hinted what a huge talent he is in the last few months," sporting director Max Eberl told the club's official website.
"We are delighted that we achieved signing him on a permanent transfer and that he has opted to play for Borussia in the next few years."
#Hazard2020 pic.twitter.com/MjZF14IPb4
- Borussia (@borussia_en) February 23, 2015
Chelsea revealed that they have a buy-back option in their statement confirming the deal, but the Bundesliga club did not confirm at what stage that could be activated.
Gladbach have been working on a Hazard deal for the last few months, with the club saying early in February that there were very positive signs that a permanent move could be finalised.
Hazard also said he hoped for a quick decision, and told kicker it would be made "before the end of the season -- the sooner the better."
I leave chelsea fc family for the borussia monchengladbach family! Verry happy to sign here��⚽️#th26#borussia#cfc pic.twitter.com/oGXNCqT5eT
- Thorgan Hazard (@HazardThorgan8) February 23, 2015
The Foals are currently third in the Bundesliga, a position that would ensure their first-ever qualification for the group stages of Champions League.
In 2012, they failed to progress to the main stage when they were beaten by Dynamo Kiev in the final round of qualifiers.
Information from Stephan Uersfeld was used in this report.