Chelsea Transfer News: Eden Hazard, Real Madrid Rumours to Prompt New Contract

Chelsea have reportedly brought forward contract talks to make Eden Hazard the highest-paid player in the Premier League in a bid to fight off interest from Real Madrid. 

According to Sunni Apal in The Sun, Chelsea are set to offer Hazard, 26, a £300,000-per-week deal to stay at Stamford Bridge just two years after he penned a contract to 2020 worth £200,000 per week. 

Apal added the Blues were not planning to start negotiations with Hazard until the summer, but they are eager for him to put pen to paper on new terms as Real have been heavily linked with the Belgian. And the west London club are confident he will stay as he "is very settled in London."

It is little surprise Chelsea are keen to ensure Hazard's future at the club as he has returned to his best form this season following a terrible 2015-16, per Squawka:

Such has been his revival that former Real president Ramon Calderon recently suggested Los Blancos could be prepared to pay a world-record fee of £100 million to sign the forward, per Matt Hughes in the Times.

While such a staggering fee would no doubt be tempting to Chelsea, it is arguable that it would still not be worth selling the player who has led their charge to a likely Premier League title triumph—and potential domestic double—under manager Antonio Conte in 2016-17. 

As noted by Spanish football writer Pete Jenson on BBC 5 live Sport, Real will not give up easily on signing Hazard, especially given it is an election year for current president Florentino Perez, and the Spanish giants could offer the likes of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez in a bid to sweeten the deal:

However, an in-form Hazard is more valuable to Chelsea than almost any player in the world, and the Blues are looking to ward Real off.

The best way to do that would be to announce that Hazard has signed a new deal, and the quicker they can get him to commit the sooner speculation will end over his future.

Per Apal, the issue has been complicated by the fact that the Belgium international is in the middle of appointing a new agent.

But it seems Chelsea are ready to offer Hazard huge money in a bid to make sure he stays at Stamford Bridge.