According to his father, Eden Hazard turned down the offer of a new deal at Chelsea in order to increase his chances of moving to Real Madrid.
The Belgian forward claimed last month that ‘everyone knows the admiration I have for Real Madrid’, increasing speculation he could leave Stamford Bridge.
Now Thierry Hazard, Eden’s father, has fanned the flames, although he also admitted there is no concrete bid yet.
He told Le Soir: ‘What I can reveal about Eden is that he refused a contract extension. This was so that, if necessary, he could follow the interest of Real, whom he could see himself playing for.
‘As of right now, there is no contact from Real Madrid. Eden is only one of the parties involved in his future ‘
Hazard remains under contract at Chelsea until 2020, however a move in the summer cannot be ruled out if Real make a huge bid.
He has been one of Chelsea’s most impressive and consistent performers recently, and was key in Antonio Conte’s title winning side in 2016-17.
Hazard has scored eight times and assisted a further eight goals for Chelsea in all competitions so far this season.
With Thibaut Courtois also not interested in signing a new deal at Chelsea and also wanting to move back to Spain, Chelsea and their manager next manager Carlo Ancelotti, have a battle on their hands to keep their two best players past this season.