Hazard rumours designed to unsettle Chelsea star, claims Conte

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte insists Eden Hazard is happy at Stamford Bridge but accepts that rumours of interest from other clubs can “put difficulty in the mind of the players”.

Recent speculation has seen Real Madrid linked with a £100million bid for the Belgium international ahead of next season, despite Hazard insisting that he and his family are settled in London.

Conte says he does not know if Chelsea chiefs will be open to any formal transfer offer for Hazard but he feels the talk surrounding his future has been orchestrated to create uncertainty in the player’s mind.

“I don’t know [if Chelsea will listen to offers],” he told a news conference. “I am repeating always the same things: now it is important to be focused on the present. Don’t look too far forward, it’s very dangerous.

“The only thing I can say is that Eden is a Chelsea player. We are happy with him, he is happy with us. I don’t see a problem with him.

“It’s a part of the game, for the others to create rumours and put difficulty in the mind of the players. We have great experience to face these situations. It’s normal at this time of season to have rumours about players.

“I am happy, because it means we are doing a great job. If there is interest from other teams, it means they are doing well.

“We know we are in a great club with great ambition. We want to do great things in the future but we want to do great things in the present. There are 10 games to play and we want to end the season with success. The will of all is to build a great team.”