Real Madrid will do their best to lure him away
Chelsea dropped out of the top four this weekend as they lost 2-1 to Manchester United. It was a tough result to take after the ongoing spat between José Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
It will also have triggered alarm bells as it signalled a real possibility that the champions might not secure Champions League football this season. The negative consequences of failing to finish in the top four would be twofold: firstly the obvious lack of European football for the club, which would temporarily lower its level of prestige, and secondly the increasing likelihood of the club having to let go of Eden Hazard.
Admittedly, sometimes the necessity of playing in Europe in order to attract and keep world class players can be overstated; Ángel Di MarÍa joined Manchester United when they were not competing in the Champions League and the last time Chelsea didn't qualify they still managed to bring N'Golo Kanté, Marcos Alonso and David Luiz to the club.
But it is likely that their star man Eden Hazard would be itching for a move away, probably to Real Madrid, should they finish 5th this season.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are preparing a mega new contract that will make him the club's highest paid player ever in an attempt to keep him at the club.
Real Madrid have been linked in the past but Chelsea are hopeful they can keep the Belgian winger at Stamford Bridge.
His current contract runs until 2020 and the proposed new deal would pay him a staggering £300k a week.
