Lille face battle to shine outside France

Coach Rudi Garcia, the man behind the free-flowing football that took the club to the Ligue 1 and French Cup double, will stay next season but Ivory Coast striker Gervinho and influential French international midfielder Yohan Cabaye have yet to be confirmed.

Where to play their Champions League home fixtures is also a worry for the northern club. Their new, 50,000-seater stadium in Lille will not be ready for another year and their temporary home, the Stadium Nord in Villeneuve d'Ascq, has yet to receive approval for European matches from governing body UEFA.

"We will try to play at the Stadium Nord but UEFA have yet to approve it," club president Michel Seydoux told Reuters. "If they don't, we will go elsewhere. It will be Valenciennes if needed but I'd rather play in Lille."

"We will never be at the same level as other European clubs," Seydoux, who took the reins in 2002, said.

"The club's budget will increase in the coming years. It should be around 80 million euros (from 55 million euros this season) next season and around 100 million in the coming years thanks to the stadium.

"The stadium will generate new revenues and that is crucial because we cannot just rely on the TV rights."

"We can develop ideas others don't have, we can be smarter to find the best players, we have the ability to go and get future talent," he explained.

"I am not thinking about transfers. I have many contacts but my advisers and the club are the ones controlling that side of things," said Hazard, who joined the youth academy in 2005.

The 20-year-old Belgian, twice voted the best prospect in the French League, has arguably been Ligue 1's top player this season.