Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard will sign a new contract with the club – if manager Antonio Conte is sacked.
Telegraph Sport has claimed that the relationship between the pair has become strained, prompting concerns that the forward will not extend his deal past 2020 unless a change is made.
Hazard has been repeatedly linked with a move to Real Madrid, although the La Liga club appear to have their sights set on signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.
Maurizio Sarri is amongst the favourites to replace Conte and it’s understood that Hazard would welcome the opportunity to work under the current Napoli coach.
Conte’s relationship with Chelsea has been fractious for much of this season, with the Italian regularly criticising what he perceives to be a lack of investment in last year’s title winning squad.
The Chelsea boss will undoubtedly be frustrated by Hazard’s stance, particularly given the Belgian’s shortcomings this season.
Hazard was particularly poor as the Blues crashed out of the Champions League against Barcelona – in stark contrast to Lionel Messi who scored twice and assisted another to send the La Liga side through to the quarter-finals.
Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane summed up Hazard’s inconsistencies after that game.
“He can be very, very good but to me there are just too many off days where he’s just not up to it,” Keane told ITV.
“If you’re trying to compare him to Messi – he’s way behind him.
“Messi and Ronaldo have been doing it year after year. They always seem to be fit. They play 50 or 60 games a season and they produce week in, week out.
“These other players that we are talking about don’t.”
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