Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Eden Hazard to Real Madrid Rumours

A summer move to the sunnier climes of Spain would be good for Chelsea star Eden Hazard, according to Belgium boss Marc Wilmots, who thinks the winger would benefit from a lighter workload at Real Madrid.

John Cross and Neil McLeman of the Mirror report Wilmots backs the idea of Hazard moving to the Bernabeu in 2016 after falling under the impression a hectic Premier League schedule is burning him out.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

Hazard has been noticeably off the pace so far this season after dominating last term's Player of the Year accolades, but his fall in form is far from unique during Chelsea's overall plummet down the Premier League standings.

Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes insisted the Blues are under no pressure to sell, however, and the club will be adamant not to crumble in light of this season's unfamiliar show of weakness:

Hazard's recent decline reached new depths when he was dropped from Chelsea's starting XI for the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, although he was restored to the team for Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Dynamo Kiev.

But ex-Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has said manager Jose Mourinho was wrong to take Hazard out of his team, per talkSPORT's Ian Cruise, telling the Colin Murray Show:

"

Some of the stuff he is coming out with at the moment and over recent weeks is not far from a meltdown. It’s John Carver-esque. I don’t know what’s going on with the owner and what the circumstances are, but to me at times it looks like he’s begging for the sack.

"

Rumours have been circulating the player is opening up to a Stamford Bridge departure, with Get French Football News citing French daily L'Equipe when reporting the player wants to exit at the end of this campaign:

While Wilmots may see a move to Spain's capital as positive for Hazard in terms of workload, his asset would also find himself competing with some of the biggest talents in the world for playing time.

Vying with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez for a starting spot could come to be detrimental for his career, going from being overworked to possibly being played not nearly enough.

Conversely, Hazard has always been seen as a focal point for Chelsea since arriving from Lille in 2012, and although tiring, this could also be seen as a factor in bringing out the best he has to offer.

While noting the ball is completely in Chelsea's court, Hayes also insisted that should an offer of near-world-record value come in for the 24-year-old, the Blues would have to consider it:

Hazard has yet to score a goal in 13 appearances for the Blues this season, and it may be possible that he and the rest of his team-mates are indeed struggling with an intense Premier League title defence because of such a heavy schedule.

After featuring in 163 games across the last three seasons—an average of 54 matches per campaign—it's quite possible Hazard is running on fumes, as Wilmots claims, while shouldering the team's creative responsibility. That's a big burden considering he's still just 24.

Season	Appearances	Starts	Goals	Assists
2012-13	62	49	13	24
2013-14	49	43	17	10
2014-15	52	49	19	13
2015-16	13	11	0	3

But the national team's concerns will only figure so heavily in the priorities of Mourinho, who will want to see his winger producing magic in club colours first and foremost.

It's unlikely the west Londoners will be any more sympathetic by allowing their talisman a move just so his Belgium form can improve, no matter how appealing a destination Madrid may seem.