KEY POINTS

  • Marina Granovskaia made a promise to the Belgian last summer.
  • Blues ready to spend around €200m to convince Hazard to stay.

Chelsea are reportedly under obligation to negotiate a potential Eden Hazard move to Real Madrid in the summer transfer due to an "agreement" reached between the player and Blues director Marina Granovskaia last year. Marca adds that the Premier League leaders are trying to convince the star to stay at Stamford Bridge by promising him they're looking to build a team capable of consistently challenging for both the Premier League and Champions League in coming years.

Hazard, 26, moved to West London in the summer of 2012 from French club Lille in a deal worth around £28m (€32m, $35.2m).

The Belgium international has since become a key player for the Blues and in February 2015 was rewarded with a new five-and-a-half-year contract, said to be worth around £200,000-a-week.

However, last summer he looked destined to leave Stamford Bridge following a disappointing campaign that saw Chelsea finishing 10th in the Premier League.

Real Madrid were linked with his services at the time as manager Zinedine Zidane has been a long-time admirer of the Belgian since his early days in Ligue 1.

Eden Hazard
Hazard was already linked with a move to Real Madrid last summer. Getty

But Marca claims Hazard and Chelsea agreed at the time for the player to stay one more season after Blues director Granovskaia promised him that they wouldn't reject any approach from Real Madrid in the following summer transfer window.

The Spanish publication claims Chelsea will consequently be under pressure to at least open negotiations with Real Madrid if Los Blancos try to lure Hazard to the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

Getty

However, Marca claims Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is trying to convince Hazard to snub any overtures from Real Madrid with promises of a new dominant era at Stamford Bridge.

To that end, Antonio Conte will be handed a €200m budget to bolster his squad with the likes of James Rodriguez, Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, and Monaco's Tiemoue Bakayoko.