Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is hopeful that Eden Hazard can impress for Real Madrid next term. The Belgium international made the high-profile move from the Blues to Los Blancos last summer, but he experienced a frustrating debut season where he scored just one goal from 22 appearances.

A combination of hamstring, foot and ankle injuries contributed to his absence from the squad for more than half of the campaign, but Azpilicueta is hopeful that he can turn things around and replicate the form from his days at Stamford Bridge, he told Radio Marca: “This season has been hampered by injuries and he hasn't been at 100 per cent. I hope he can pick up some rhythm in order to help his team. I have no doubt that Real Madrid have lots of quality players and that Eden can show his worth in that team. Let's hope we can see the Eden we saw at Chelsea.”

Los Blancos are not expected to make any high-profile changes to the squad this summer after the spending spree last year. Despite the absence of Hazard, they managed to cruise to the top-flight title after the coronavirus shutdown as they won 10 of the final 11 matches of the season. Zinedine Zidane’s failed to compete for the Champions League as they were ousted by Manchester City at the round of 16 stage, but overall, it was a good season for the club.
Meanwhile, the Blues are on a rampant spending spree this summer and they have already spent £130m on five players. They are expected to continue the purchase of new recruits with manager Frank Lampard wanting to close the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City in the pursuit of the Premier League crown. The west London outfit are currently in the process of negotiating the transfer of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.