Chelsea Star Admits He 'Dreams' of Real Madrid Move and Hints at Timescale for Negotiations

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has admitted that he still 'dreams' of playing for Real Madrid, despite the departure of Zinedine Zidane this summer. 

Hazard had previously cited Zidane as a major draw in a potential move to the Bernabeu, but told beIN Sports ahead of Belgium's World Cup semi final against France that the Frenchman's departure doesn't make Los Blancos any less special. 

He said: "Does Real make me dream less without Zidane? Zidane is someone special it’s true, but I think Real is everyone’s dream.

"Zidane or no Zidane, the white jersey [of Real] is special but the blue jersey suits me well so it does not bother me if I stay. For now, it’s the World Cup. As I have said at least 100 times, I am in Chelsea and for the moment nobody has made me an offer."

Hazard has been linked with a move to the Spanish capital multiple times over the last couple of summers, with the rumours only intensifying as his contract - which runs until 2020 - begins to run down into the territory where Chelsea will fear losing him for free. 

Real are facing a tumultuous summer in the transfer market, with growing reports that Cristiano Ronaldo will quit the club for Juventus, possibly as soon as this week, leaving them with a massive gap to fill both on and off the pitch. 

Hazard would fall a step shy of replacing Ronaldo's presence on the pitch, typically playing a more withdrawn role than the outright striker that the Portuguese international has become, but his marketing cache - as well as his status as a world class player, only improved by an excellent 2018 World Cup - would do a lot to soothe Florentino Perez's ego in the boardroom.