Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE FINAL PREMIER LEAGUE HURDLE?
Everton are Chelsea’s biggest obstacle to winning the title.. and then they can start worrying about losing Hazard to Madrid
ANTONIO CONTE has admitted he cannot guarantee Eden Hazard will still be a Chelsea player next season. The Premier League leaders can take “a strong step” towards reclaiming the title by winning at Goodison Park tomorrow – the toughest fixture of their remaining five games. A single point will guarantee a return to the Champions League, but whether Hazard will be part of the next campaign has been thrown into fresh doubt this week. There have been renewed claims in Spain that the Belgian will become the latest 100 million euros Real Madrid Galactico this summer. Or it could be David De Gea, Paulo Dybala or Kylian Mbappe. Asked if Hazard will remain a Chelsea player, Conte said: “I think that it’s impossible for me to take this responsibility – not only for Eden but for every single player. In this situation it’s the club who have the final decision. “I don’t think that the idea to sell him is in the mind of the club. I think we have to improve the team, to reinforce the team. ‘‘But you know that, in football, there is also the will of the player. The future? I haven’t a crystal ball.” The Spanish giants signed Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo when they were the best players in the Premier League, underlining once again that the lure of the Bernabeu is hard to resist. Could Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich reject a Madrid bid of £100m? “I think that everything is possible, everything is possible in football,” Conte (above) added. Hazard has a contract in west London until 2020 and has not agitated for a pay rise, but Chelsea are ready to make him the bestpaid Premier League player in the summer. “I think Eden is very happy to stay with us and work with us,” said the Blues boss. “I think his family is very happy to stay here and play for this team, for this club. “The fans love him and there are a lot of positive things that would persuade him to stay and to try to reach his best with us. “Don’t forget, the target of this club is to try to win every competition we play in.” Chelsea lost in the league and Cup at Goodison Park last season and Everton, with former Stamford Bridge striker Romelu Lukaku in top form, have won their last eight at home in the league. No wonder Conte is predicting the title race will go to the wire. “Everton are a really strong team, with great players in their squad,” he said. “It will be a very tough game for us but at the end of the season every game becomes tough for many different reasons. On Sunday we can take a very strong step. I’m sure whoever wins this title will be one point or two points ahead, not a lot of points.”