'If I return it will be to play for Lille': Chelsea's Eden Hazard rules out Paris Saint-Germain move

Hazard stressed he would only return to Ligue 1 to play for his former club Lille.

Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard has expressed his happiness at seeing Ligue 1 go from strength-to-strength but seemed to rule out a move to Paris Saint-Germain by saying he would only play for Lille if he did return to French football.

Hazard was linked with a move to the French capital in the summer, and his Belgium international teammate Thomas Meunier recently urged him to swap London for Paris and join the French revolution at the Parc de Princes.

Meunier thinks Hazard could play for PSG with "his hands tied behind his back", but the 26-year-old has moved to dampen suggestions of a switch away from west London and is more focused on 'carving' out the remainder of his career, which still has a number of years left to run.

He may be reluctant to join Neymar et al at PSG but Hazard, who has won a host of honours since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2012, did not entirely rule out a move back to France and is seemingly open to a return to Lille, where he won a league and cup double in 2011.

"There are some big clubs, and it was an attractive league even when I played in it six years ago," Hazard told SFR Sport, relayed by Goal.

"Big stars want to play in Ligue 1, and that is a good thing. But if I am to return it will be to play for Lille – they are my club.

"I still have a career to carve out, with a number of seasons ahead of me."

Hazard may hope some of those seasons are played in the colours of Real Madrid - he spoke of his admiration for the club on a number of occasions during the summer - but his immediate focus will be on Chelsea's Carabao Cup third-round clash against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday (September 20) evening.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte suggested that Hazard will make his first start of the season against Mark Warburton's men, and is also prepared to hand a number of young talents a chance to strut their stuff against the former European Cup winners: Charly Musonda, Kenedy, Kyle Scott and Jake Clarke-Salter are all in contention to start.