Cesc Fabregas has told Chelsea that they "need" to keep Eden Hazard and admitted that he has been having regular conversations with the club’s star player.

Although new manager Maurizio Sarri will wait until Hazard returns from a three-week holiday on Aug 6 before speaking directly to his player, senior members of the Chelsea squad have been in contact with the Belgium winger.

Fabregas himself went from Arsenal to Barcelona in 2011 and, amid interest now in Hazard from Real Madrid, does not want his friend to follow that same path from the Premier League to La Liga. “I won't lie, I speak to him often,” said Fabregas. “He is the best player at the club and we need at Chelsea to keep the best players. He knows the fans love him and he’s a player we all love to play with, especially me. For us, he's our most important player."

Hazard, whose current deal runs until 2020, has been offered an extension worth around £300,000-a-week but suggested last week that he might leave and will be acutely aware of the widely reported interest from Real Madrid following their sale of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fabregas said that he was enjoying a style of management that has been compared to his old Barcelona colleague Pep Guardiola. "His way of football, I believe in," said Fabregas, "I really like it, I grew up in this system, in this quality of football, that he wants to bring to the football club. I think the type of player like myself, we can take a lot of advantage. We want to play well, we want to be attractive, but we want to win as well."

Chelsea are still confident of keeping Hazard for another year even if Real Madrid or Barcelona do make a massive offer but may be more willing to sell goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is out of contract next season and is yet to accept an offer worth around £200,000-a-week.

Meanwhile reports on Friday night suggested Barcelona had made a third bid for Willian, this one in excess of £55m for the winger who turns 30 in three weeks but so far neither club has confirmed the approach. 

Source : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/07/20/cesc-fabregas-speaking-eden-hazard-often-chelsea-aim-keep-star/