Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri called Eden Hazard one of the top two or three players in Europe on Wednesday, and said he wants to meet the Belgium forward face-to-face to discuss his future. Chelsea, the 2017 Premier League champion, later announced that Gianfranco Zola has returned to the club as an assistant to Sarri. Former Italy international Zola made more than 300 appearances and scored 80 goals for the Blues between 1996 and 2003. Sarri and Zola face the immediate task of keeping Hazard at Stamford Bridge.

Hazard said at the World Cup in Russia that "it might be time to discover something different" after spending the last six years with Chelsea, which failed to qualify for this season's Champions League. He has been linked with a move to European champion Real Madrid, which recently sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. Hazard is taking time off after the World Cup along with Belgium teammate Thibaut Courtois, whose future is also the matter of some debate.