Conte: Forget it Real, Hazard is our player
ANTONIO CONTE believes Eden Hazard will resist the lure of Real Madrid and devote his future to Chelsea. Real have coveted Hazard for years and are expected to launch another move for the Belgian over the summer. Conte, however, insists the 26-year-old is ‘in the right place’ and destined to be a central figure in the glorious era he is trying to build at Stamford Bridge. ‘In this situation the will of the player is very important,’ said Conte. ‘If the player is happy and knows he will stay in a great team with great ambition, I don’t see any problem. Even if a club calls itself Real Madrid. The ambitions of this club are the same as mine and my players. We are in the right place if you want to be competitive. I hope to play in the Champions League next season.’ Hazard has three years left on his Chelsea contract. A new deal is being prepared and Conte does not anticipate the decision will come down to money. ‘When you become a top player, you want to fight to win and be competitive in every trophy,’ said the Italian, who dismissed Real Madrid’s unsettling tactics as ‘part of the game’, saying: ‘We have great experience of this situation and so do my players. Eden is a Chelsea player, our player. ‘We are happy with him and he is happy with us.’