Chelsea Transfer News: Eden Hazard Issues New Response to Real Madrid Rumours

Eden Hazard has insisted he sees no reason to leave Chelsea, per Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard, after being linked with a move to Real Madrid.  

Reports have claimed, per The Sun (h/t the Daily Telegraph), that Real are willing to offer Gareth Bale in exchange for Hazard this summer.

Bayern Munich have also been linked with a £100 million bid for the Belgium international, per Jack Watts of the Daily Star, but Hazard has no plans to leave Chelsea. Hazard said, per Johnson: "Why change? If you’re happy and things are going really well at one place, there is no need to change. Obviously, these things don’t just depend on me but whenever you’re enjoying your football and having the chance to win trophies, it would be silly to change."

The 24-year-old was a target for Real when he joined Chelsea from Lille three years ago, per Anthony Hay of MailOnline.

But Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho recently stated he had heard nothing of any fresh interest from Real and also warned his former club how much it would cost to sign the playmaker, saying, per Kevin Palmer of ESPN.co.uk: "If Real Madrid want him, I think I would be the first one to know, but if they do it would be £100m for each leg.”

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Hazard signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge in February, per the club’s official website, and he has blossomed into the team’s central figure this season.

He scored 14 goals and created nine assists in the Premier League, per WhoScored.com, and he was also named the PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year.

Adam Bate of Sky Sports outlined how Hazard has transformed himself into the leading man for the champions, writing: "Hazard has been far more than a cog in the wheel. Instead, he has provided the fantasy in this Chelsea team. The wide-man who's a central figure. The precocious youngster who's already a leader. The devastating dribbler who's shown he can be a team man."

There was perhaps no surer sign of Hazard’s commitment and importance to Chelsea than his appearance in the final-day win over Sunderland.

Hazard had been forced to skip the FWA dinner, where he would have been presented with the award, per his official Twitter account:

He was expected to miss the game with Sunderland, per Tom Sheen of The Independent, after having his wisdom teeth taken out. But he maintained his record of starting every league game this season by declaring himself ready to play.

It’s that level of dedication which helped him become the influential figure that he was at Chelsea this season, and reiterating his happiness at the club will be welcomed by his team-mates, his manager and the fans alike.

Hazard is going to be the subject of this type of speculation every year, if he maintains the level of performance he has shown over the past season. But it will be worth getting used to for Chelsea if he continues to deliver on the pitch. There is no reason why Hazard’s ambitions cannot be fulfilled at Stamford Bridge.