According to reports in Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, via BBC Football, Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has hinted that he would be willing to listen to an offer from Real Madrid if one arrived.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Champions League winners following some fine form for the Blues in recent seasons – he was named as Chelsea’s Player of the Season after helping them reclaim the Premier League trophy this term – and he has refused to rule out joining Real in the future.

While that may not happen this summer following news that he has broken his ankle in training while on international duty with Belgium, the comments may be of concern for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and the club’s supporters.

What did he say?

In the interview with HLN, Hazard replied when asked what he would do if he was offered a deal by  Real Madrid: “Of course I’ll listen. We all have dreams. It could be Spain, it could be staying with Chelsea.

“But it's not something I'm thinking about right now. We'll see.

“If I would ever join Real Madrid, I could end up on the bench too. I just want the best solution for myself.”

What do those comments suggest?

They would suggest that while Hazard is clearly happy at Chelsea and is revelling in being one of their star men, the chance to play for Real Madrid at some point in the future may be too good to turn down.

However, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale already at the Bernabeu the Belgian may think twice before making the move to Spain where he may not be a guaranteed starter in attack every week like he is at Stamford Bridge.

What happens next?

Seeing as he is likely to be out of action for at least two months and could miss the start of the 2017/18 season, not a lot.

Even if Real want to sign Hazard they won’t be able to until nearer the end of the summer transfer window, and the Blues will probably refuse to sell him at that point as they will be running out of time to sign a top-class replacement.

The Premier League champions may choose to offer the 26-year-old a bumper new deal too to ward off the interest from Real.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/chelsea-quotes.mp4