Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has described it as āimportantā that Eden Hazard does not leave the Blues and expressed his desire to continue playing alongside the Belgian for āmany more yearsā.
In-form forward Hazard has cast fresh doubt on his Stamford Bridge future by admitting it has been a dream of his to play for Real Madrid.
When asked on Tuesday about the 27-year-old, Barkley said: āItās important (that Hazard stays).
āHeās been at Chelsea for a long time now and heās achieved so much. I canāt speak for Eden, he knows in his mind what he wants. But Iād love to play with him for many more years ahead.ā
Barkley ā speaking at a press conference at an England media day at St Georgeās Park ā added: āHeās inspirational, a magnificent player.
āYou can see how heās started the season and the World Cup that he had, you donāt get many players like him. Heās capable of magic at any moment.
āPlaying with world-class players is always going to improve me, and to play with them, to train with them on a day to day basis, you see the speed of thought, you see how much enjoyment they have in football and it has a big effect on yourself.ā
Hazard, who has two years left on his Chelsea contract, was heavily linked with a move to Madrid after the World Cup, at which Belgium finished third.
He has begun the season in sensational style for Maurizio Sarriās Chelsea, topping the Premier League scoring charts with seven goals.
However, uncertainty again surrounds his future after he revealed he is torn between signing a new deal in west London and moving to the Spanish capital, having described Real as the ābest club in the worldā.
āI donāt want to say: āYes, I am signing a new contractā and then in the end I donāt end up signing,ā Hazard was quoted as saying in several national newspapers on Monday.
āSo I will see. Sometimes in my head, I wake up in the morning and think I want to go.
āSometimes I think I want to stay. It is a hard decision. It is my future.
āReal Madrid is the best club in the world. I donāt want to lie today.
āIt is my dream since I was a kid. I was dreaming about this club. We will see.
āI donāt want to talk about this every day. I donāt have time, but we will talk about my future soon. I think so.ā
Ryder Cup-winning golfer Justin Rose has urged Hazard to stay put.
Asked if he had a message for the Ballon dāOr nominee, world number two Rose, a big Chelsea fan, told Sky Sports News: āStay. Heās obviously been unbelievable, hasnāt he?
āHeās a player that I think even if youāre not a Chelsea fan you enjoy watching him play football, heās incredible.
āHe does so much for us and when heās engaged mentally and if he has a good reason to stay heāll be unbelievable for us still in the future.
āHopefully they can entice him to (stay) and keep him motivated.ā