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Conte tells star man: The grass is greener here than at Real Madrid and good things are about to blossom
ANTONIO CONTE has told Eden Hazard to forget joining Real Madrid – and dropped a big hint about his own Chelsea future.
Real have made Hazard their No.1 transfer target as the Spanish giants are ready to smash through the £100million barrier and offer Alvaro Morata in any deal.
But Conte was unusually bullish about Chelsea’s long-term plans as he promised they are building “something good” and will be genuine European contenders again.
That will be music to the ears of Blues fans as Inter Milan’s interest in Conte will not go away, especially after the Italian’s remarkable first season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are ready to offer Hazard a new £300,000-a-week contract to fend off Real’s interest and Conte insists they are strong enough to keep their prize asset.
He said: “In this situation, the will of the player is very important. 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 the other club is Real Madrid.
“We are in a great club. We started to build something good for the future, and the ambitions here are the same as mine and my players’.
“We stay in the right place if you want to be competitive, now and in future. I hope to play in the Champions League next season. I’m sure about this, 100 per cent.
“It’s very important to stay, to feel that you are in the right place. When you become a top player, you want to fight to win and be competitive in every trophy you play for. We are building something important together. We have just started our building. Now we are putting the foundations in.
“If we are able to win the league this season, we’ll be on an incredible path, as we have been in transition.
“We are putting great foundations down to build something important for the future. The players feel this.”
Conte himself has, of course, been linked with Inter as their Chinese backers believe they can lure him back to Serie A.
The former Italy and Juventus boss will be offered a new contract by Chelsea this summer and they are expected to give him a significant upgrade on the £5m a year left on his deal which expires in 2019.
There is also likely to be major investment in the squad, especially as striker Diego Costa (with David Luiz, left) is set to leave.
Conte added: “The most important thing is for us to try and finish this league and try to win.
“Then we will talk about the right way to improve our team and squad. I don’t see any problems. I’m very happy to be coach.”