Chelsea have accelerated plans to secure Eden Hazard’s long-term future by opening contract talks with their star man, claims The Daily Mail.

Hazard’s current deal is due to expire in 2020 and Antonio Conte’s side want to hand him a new contract that will make him one of the best paid players in the Premier League.

The defending Premier League champions are aware of Real Madrid’s lingering interest in Hazard and are desperate to end speculation before the end of the season.

Hazard will be in line to earn in the region of £300,000-a-week if he commits his future to Chelsea but it’s far from clear whether the Belgium international will agree terms.

A 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday has left Chelsea outside of the top four and failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League may only push Hazard closer to leaving.

Madrid are set for a huge summer spending spree and have also earmarked Hazard’s Chelsea team-mate Thibaut Courtois as a top transfer target, while Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is also on their radar.

Only Kevin De Bruyne (7.94) and Sergio Aguero (7.89) have a higher perfomance rating than Hazard (7.84) in the Premier League this season.

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