Cesc Fabregas Thinks Eden Hazard Will Reject Real Madrid, Sign New Chelsea Deal

Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says he thinks Eden Hazard will turn down Real Madrid's advances and sign a new contract with the Blues after his old team-mate said he's decided his next career move.

Fabregas, who left Chelsea to join AS Monaco in January, told Cadena SER he didn't know what Hazard will do come the end of the season before revealing that he believes the Belgium international will stay in west London (h/t Metro's Chris Davie):

"If he already said that he has made his choice, I think that he will renew his contract with Chelsea. I just found out about that, actually.

"I can tell you that Hazard would never get into a disagreement with Chelsea because he wants to leave. It is the club of his life and he has won everything in England playing for them.

"But I believe that if he already made the decision, it was a while ago because those choices are usually not made during the middle of the season."

Hazard—who turned 28 in January—joined Chelsea from Lille in June 2012. The winger is in the midst of his seventh season at Stamford Bridge, where he has been named club Player of the Season in half of his six full campaigns.

But after Thibaut Courtois forced a transfer to Real with only a year left on his contract last summer, there are fears compatriot Hazard could follow suit in a near-identical move in 2019.

Chelsea's star man has long described Real as his "dream" club, and Sky Sports' The Debate recently discussed the prospect of him making a relatively affordable move to the Santiago Bernabeu:

Fabregas, 31, also underlined Hazard's appreciation for Real, and Chelsea likely won't thank their old charge for describing this as the "perfect moment to leave" for Hazard: 

"I do know he loves Real Madrid but he is happy at Chelsea and his family loves living in London. He is also the first captain of the team. However, he needs to make a decision before next summer because he hasn’t renewed his contract.

"He is already 28 years old and this would be the perfect moment to leave, it would be a very personal decision though."

Hazard recently said his mind is made up as to what decision he will make this summer, whether to prolong his stay at the Bridge or set up a new adventure at the club of his dreams, per Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard:

Sports writer Andy West recently proposed a blueprint for both Chelsea and Real to come out of a transfer happy:

It's no secret that Hazard has a deep connection with Los Blancos, but for Fabregas to openly talk about the subject shows just how far that link runs.

Chelsea may feel left out in the cold if Hazard has decided to leave three months before the end of the season and didn't inform his employers, but Fabregas believes all signs point toward a Stamford Bridge extension.