Antonio Conte insists Eden Hazard will remain loyal to Chelsea

01 April,2017 10:21 AM IST |   |  PA Sport

Rumours linking Hazard with Madrid giants won’t unsettle Chelsea star, believes Conte as Blues switch focus back on title race against Crystal Palace on Saturday


London: Antonio Conte insists Eden Hazard will remain loyal to Chelsea despite reports linking Real Madrid with a world record bid for the Belgium star. Hazard has played a key role in Chelsea's charge to the top of the Premier League and the midfielder is said to be Real's top transfer target for the close-season. The Spanish giants are prepared to offer over £100 million ($124 million, 116 million euros) to prise the 26-year-old away from Stamford Bridge. But Blues boss Conte, who is reported to have told owner Roman Abramovich not to sell Hazard at any cost, is confident the player is settled in England and won't agitate for a move to Madrid.

"The only thing I can say is Eden is a Chelsea player, our player," Conte said. "We are happy with him. He is happy with us. I don't see a problem. It's normal and logical at this time of the season, to start rumours about our players... and try to make things difficult for them. We have great experience to face this situation. Also my players have this experience. If Chelsea players are requested by the other teams, it means they're doing very well. I'm very happy. It means I'm doing a great job," the Italian said.

Chelsea play Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and need 21 more points to seal the title. "I think we deserve to win, but there are 10 games to go. For sure our opponents don't want to accept that Chelsea is champions," Conte added.

"Football is full of surprises. In my experience as a footballer, I won a lot, but I think I lost more. For this reason, I want to keep our feet on the ground. It's very important," Conte added.

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