Eden Hazard Says Family Are 'Very Settled' in London Amid Real Madrid Rumours

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard has confirmed that his children are "very settled" in London and that he might consider living in the capital after he has retired.

The 26-year-old was responding to questions in a revealing interview on Chelsea's official website.

Real Madrid are reportedly keen on signing the Belgian and see him as their top summer target, per Jose Felix Diaz for Marca, but Hazard's admission that he is comfortable in west London could scupper their plans and see him remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the current campaign.

Hazard has been in scintillating form recently and is one of several Chelsea players expected to be in contention for PFA Player of the Year, an award he won in 2015 before a disastrous dip in form during the 2015-16 season.

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Chelsea fans have delighted in his resurgence under Antonio Conte and will be relieved to hear him speak of a "settled" home life.

However, Hazard's comments were a long way from confirmation that he will be a Chelsea player for the foreseeable future. In a light-hearted interview, the 26-year-old was asked where he would like to live when he retires, and responded with, "it's hard to say," per Chelsea's official website. 

"Maybe I will live in Belgium, to be close to the family, or else I could go somewhere with nice weather," he said, before mentioning the possibility of London and hastening to add that it is "a long way off yet so we will see."

In fact, there are plenty of reasons for Real fans to be optimistic. Hazard has reportedly been learning Spanish and is more open to negotiations than he was at the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, according to Diaz.

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Chelsea boss Conte will not be happy to see his star attacker leave the club, although he could look to replace the Belgian with Isco or James Rodriguez as part of a swap deal, per Diaz. If Hazard was to move to Real for straight cash, then Conte may intensify his efforts to lure Alexis Sanchez across the capital.

Sanchez is Chelsea's "main summer transfer target," according to a report by Fabrizio Romano in The Guardian, although such a transfer would be far from simple.

Sanchez is demanding £250,000 per week from his next employer and is attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus, per Romano.

Then again, the champions-elect will not necessarily need to sign a new player. Real Madrid's pursuit of Hazard shows little sign of drawing to a close, and with the Belgian playing with confidence at Stamford Bridge, he could still be wearing a blue shirt come September.