Leaving the field to a standing ovation on Saturday during the Chelsea-Liverpool game, Eden Hazard was touched by the Stamford Bridge crowd’s support, expressing as much to SFR Sport afterwards.
The Belgium international has been been linked with a move to Real Madrid for as long as we can remember, not exactly helped by the fact Zinedine Zidane, the La Liga club’s current manager, is a big fan of his.
Despite this, the winger has never come close to leaving the Blues, but, should he not renew his deal prior to the upcoming transfer window, this summer could be very different.
Out of contract in June 2020, this could be the last chance for Chelsea to heavily cash in on the 27-year-old, as letting him run it down an extra year could see him leave for a lot less.
Asked about the possibility of a transfer in the coming months, Hazard said: “I hope [the fans] don’t want to see me leave. I’m doing good things here. I’m happy here. Things can move, or they may not move. We’ll see. The public adore me, I love my teammates, my family are good here.”
Currently fifth in the table and seemingly set to miss out on next year’s Champions League, Chelsea could see a couple of players look around for a club playing in the elite European competition, but that most likely won’t be Hazard.
He continued: “Of course I want to play in the Champions League, but it isn’t a priority.”
We’ll have to see if anyone comes knocking for the Belgian, but if he didn’t leave when Chelsea finished 10th under José Mourinho, he’ll probably stick around this time too.