Left for €100m, back on a free?! Update on Eden Hazard to Chelsea talk after disastrous Real Madrid spell for Belgian forward

Eden Hazard has seen a return to Chelsea speculated on, but Fabrizio Romano claims there is no truth to those stunning rumours.

The 32-year-old Belgian is currently a free agent after seeing a disastrous spell at Real Madrid brought to a close. He was released by the Blancos over the summer after registering just seven goals for the Liga giants across four seasons.

There has been talk of Hazard being invited back to Stamford Bridge, with 110 goals recorded for the Blues in 352 appearances before completing a €100 million (£86m/$107m) transfer to Spain. He is still held in the highest regard by those in west London and Chelsea are crying out for creativity and goal threat.

Romano has, however, told CaughtOffside of the options that Hazard continues to mull over: There’s a lot being speculated about Eden Hazard, who remains a free agent, but at the moment I’m not aware of anything concrete. There are a lot of rumours, but nothing advanced, because at the moment Hazard is still discussing with his family and those close to him about retirement. Retirement for Hazard is a concrete possibility, but it’s not a final decision yet, and I think when we talk about a big decision like this for an important player like Hazard, I like to be respectful. It’s the player who has to decide and communicate, not for me or other journalists in general. For sure he’s considering retirement, but let’s see what he will decide, and I can say that all the rumours about Belgian clubs, or a return to Chelsea or other clubs, none of this was concrete or true.

Hazard earned a reputation as one of the most fearsome forwards in world football during his time at Chelsea, with two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and a couple of Europa League crowns won over the course of his seven years in England.