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Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge for this season at least after a 'dream' move to Real Madrid failed to materialise.

Hazard may still see Chelsea and Belgium colleague Thibaut Courtois make the switch to Real, but his own chances of wearing the famous all-white kit appear slim at best as it has been reported that talks between the two clubs were never even formally opened.

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Despite the ongoing links and speculation, it has been well established in recent weeks that Chelsea are extremely reluctant to sell and that Real are unwilling to spend more than €100m on any single player because of a post-Galacticos transfer policy implemented since 2014.

According to respected Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur, Hazard is back in London after his summer break was delayed by the World Cup and will train with his Chelsea teammates for the first time since last season.

Terreur explained that nothing has nothing has changed from Chelsea's earlier stance and that time has now run out as the transfer deadline for Premier League clubs is just three days away, not leaving enough time to bring in a suitable replacement.

English clubs collectively voted for an early transfer deadline, but the window remains open in Spain and the rest of Europe for another three weeks until the end of August.

In theory, there is nothing to stop Real or any other club from making approaches for an unsettled Hazard beyond Thursday as the deadline only restricts buying and not selling.

So while Chelsea keeping Hazard beyond Thursday's deadline would make it incredibly likely that he will stay at the club this season, it would certainly be naive to assume it is guaranteed.