Hazard opens up on Real Madrid speculation

Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard has claimed his current focus on strictly on his club’s current campaign, despite fresh reports linking him with a summer move to Real Madrid.

For quite some time, the Belgian ace has been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabéu, but the player opted to remain at Chelsea for the 2018/19 campaign. However, after a tricky season under new manager Maurizio Sarri, it appears that Hazard could finally be ready to leave the Blues, as Los Blancos look to splash the cash when the summer transfer window opens.

Speaking about his plans for the future, via the Metro, the 28-year-old said: “At the moment there’s nobody waiting for me. We still have 2 important months with ​Chelsea. We can win the Europa League. We have to win it, or we have to finish in the top four to play in the Champions League.

“I am only thinking about that (last two months with Chelsea), not about what might happen in two, three, four months. I don’t know. We will see.”

On Monday, ​Real were believed to have had an opening offer for Hazard turned down, with their €82m bid rejected out of hand. If the Blues are to part with arguably their best player in the summer, it is likely to cost the Spanish side in excess of €115m.

Footballer’s comments are, by and large, carefully honed through media training; not giving away too much, but also creating just a tad of mystery. By the looks of things, Hazard will indeed leave Chelsea this summer, but his chosen focus on the Champions League could offer Blues fans a shred of hope, in that if they qualify, he may decide to stick around after all.

Meanwhile, ​both César Azpilicueta and Antonio Rüdiger have given a scathing analysis of their side’s performance against Everton, after the Blues slumped to a 2-0 loss at Goodison Park on Sunday. The loss piled further pressure on under-fire manager Maurizio Sarri, whose future at Stamford Bridge has faced fresh scrutiny following the defeat.