Eden Hazard has pledged to book Chelsea a place in the Champions League next season despite the expectation that his future lies elsewhere.
The Blues sit fourth, two points clear of Arsenal a place below them, with two games to go in Maurizio Sarri’s first season at the club.
A 1-1 draw at Manchester United saw them hold off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the race for the top four while Arsenal’s continued poor run away from home meant a point was good enough to keep Chelsea in the driving seat for the final Champions League spot behind Tottenham in third.
Hazard, 28, is top of Real Madrid’s shopping list this summer and has remained open about the possibility of leaving west London this summer. Before making that call, however, the forward is determined on taking the Blues back to Europe’s top table.
“Chelsea has to play in the Champions League every year,” said Hazard.
“It's one of biggest clubs in the world, and for myself also I want to play in the Champions League - and we will."
Should they miss out on the top four, with games against Watford and Leicester remaining in the League, Chelsea do at least have the fall back of the Europa League. Winning the second-tier trophy brings with it a Champions League place. Chelsea have Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final before facing either Arsenal or Valencia in the final.
On the result at Old Trafford, the Belgian added: “It was a good day but it could be better, we came here thinking about winning the game.
“A draw is not a bad result. We now have two games and we will try and be in the top four.”
Hazard will enter the final year of his contract at Chelsea following this season and while Sarri would like to see him stay at Stamford Bridge, the Italian says he will respect the star’s decision with the Blues demanding upwards of £100million to seal a move.
“I don’t know,” said Sarri. “You have to ask the club and the problem is the new contract. But I want to respect his decision.
In Pictures | Man Utd vs Chelsea | 28/04/2019
“He will go in the last season of the contract next season, so I don’t know at the moment.
“But in this moment, for me it's not really so important. I'm really happy with Eden, because he's playing very well, he fights on the pitch, so I'm really happy with him.”
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