Hazard rules out leaving Chelsea in January & says he won't force move to Real Madrid

The Belgian star has consistently been linked with a move to Spain but he insists he will not upset Maurizio Sarri's side and attempt to force a move

Posted Monday, October 15, 2018 by Goal.com

Eden Hazard has refuted suggestions that he could look to leave Chelsea when the January transfer window opens.

The Blues forward has long been linked with a switch to Real Madrid but, despite strong rumours he could make the move in the summer, he remained at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian has since reiterated it is his dream to sign for the Liga giants, leading to reports that he could even look to jump ship in the January window.

But speaking to Telefoot, Hazard has insisted that will not happen and that he will not look to clash with the club in an attempt to force a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

He said: "Chelsea were clear with me [in the summer]. I couldn't leave the club. I accepted it. Anyway... leaving or staying, I was going to be happy. I do not regret this decision at all.

"When decisions are made [that you may not like] you can sulk and often you get the last word. But I will never look to clash with the club. Chelsea have given me a lot. I left Lille on good terms and I want to do the same thing here.

"A transfer in January? It's not possible."

Despite Hazard's commitment to Chelsea for the 2018-19 campaign, his long-term future remains up in the air.

The former Lille winger is under contract until 2020 and despite Chelsea's attempts to tie him down to a new deal and make him the highest-paid player in the club's history, there is no sign of the player putting pen to paper any time soon.

Indeed, Hazard has gone as far as saying it would be a dream to play for Real Madrid, and Goal understands that those in Madrid, including some of the Champions League winners' players, have responded favourably to those statements from the Belgian.

Maurizio Sarri does, however, remain confident he can keep Chelsea's star man, insisting that the "immense" forward is staying put at Stamford Bridge.

And Hazard spoke in positive terms about his new manager, adding to Telefoot: "I feel like I can shoot from anywhere and score. This season, we have more the ball. Sarri is different from Conte and Mourinho.

"If you don't have the ball for five minutes, he goes crazy. Am I the best player in the world? If the best player in the world is the one who scores the most goals, I'm not the best."

Hazard, 27, has been in sparkling form at the start of the 2018-19 season, scoring eight goals in all competitions to help Sarri's Blues to second in the table, level on points with Manchester City and Liverpool.

Madrid, meanwhile, have struggled under new manager Julen Lopetegui and find themselves in fourth place in the Liga table after four matches, while they're on a run of four games without a win in all competitions.

The goals have also dried up since Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, with Madrid on their longest run without scoring a goal since 1985.