Blues in need of a Pepe talk

Chelsea Slavia Prague Europa League quarter-final second leg, tomorrow, 8pm (Chelsea lead 1-0)

v CHELSEA are ready to return to Eden Hazard’s former club Lille for his replacement, Nicolas Pepe.

The Ivory Coast winger (above) has made it clear to the French outfit he wants to leave this summer. Lille have responded by slapping a £70million price tag on his head.

The 23-year-old has been a smash hit in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 19 times and assisting a further 11 goals in just 32 matches. The sensational run of form has helped lift Lille up to second in the table.

Chelsea, who meet Slavia Prague in the Europa League at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night, are resigned to losing Hazard at the end of the season as the Belgian has just a year left on his contract.

The Blues are fighting against the transfer ban they have had imposed on them by FIFA and have lined up Pepe in case their appeal is successful.

Hazard spent five years at Lille before leaving for London in a stunning

£32m deal in 2012. The 28-year-old has since lifted two Premier Leagues, the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.

With the club languishing outside the Premier League’s top four, however, Hazard is set to follow up his well-documented wish to work with Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.

Gary Cahill is continuing to attract interest from West Ham. The former England centre-back has been out in the cold at Chelsea, and is desperate for regular first-team football.

He could get his wish this week with Antonio Rudiger a big doubt for the quarterfinal, second leg.

Rudiger is having a scan to determine the extent of the knee injury he suffered in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Cahill, 33, has made just seven appearances this term, the last of which was against PAOK Salonika five months ago.