Chelsea want to cover Hazard in gold
Eden Hazard is one of the stars of the Premier League, and as such, Chelsea are willing to offer him a salary that meets and even exceeds his demands. Their objective: to ward off interest from Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's long-standing interest in the Belgian forward has been revived by the latest statements from his father, who claimed a deal at Stamford Bridge had not yet been signed as they expected an offer to come from the Spanish giants.
The words uttered by Thierry Hazard have enfuriated those in favour of his Chelsea stay, and Antonio Conte insisted the club's intention was to retain its stars. He also aimed a slight dig at the Belgian, saying he had "a lot of space for improvement".
After smelling blood in west London, Real Madrid are prepared to splash out to lure Hazard to the Bernabeu, but the Blues have decided to retaliate by offering their star a 50 per cent pay hike. Reports in England suggest that his current weekly wages of £200,000 would go up to £300,000.
Antonio Conte believes Hazard to be committed to the club stating: "If you're at a major club and believe in it's direction, then the coherent thing to do is stay". A deal to make him the highest-paid player in the Premier League may allow that to happen.