In recent times, Eden Hazard has been heavily linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. His current form has fuelled the rumours and both Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane are prepared to sanction his transfer in a heartbeat.
The player himself has also hinted repeatedly at a switch to La Liga, stating it is his "dream" to play under Zidane. The Belgian is widely regarded as one of the top players on the planet, yet he once again came nowhere near winning the Ballon d'Or on Thursday.
"He could go to Real Madrid to win the Balon d'Or easier," said former Real Madrid and Chelsea star Michael Essien, who nevertheless hopes the Belgian sticks around Stamford Bridge.
"When we talk about Eden, he is such a good player," he added. "He's very quick, very good on the ball. He's very strong, he may be little but he is strong, trust me! It is hard to get the ball off him."
"He's such a good player and we're happy to have him at Chelsea but I'd understand why Madrid would be looking at him," Essien said about Hazard, who has reportedly stalled contract talks at Chelsea in a bid to attract attention from Madrid.
"He is proving it week-in, week-out. At the moment he is the most important player [at Chelsea]. When you have Hazard, he can always do something," the ex-Ghana international continued. "He can always create something to do something with the ball. He makes goals for himself or others. He has that magic touch."
"I think that Chelsea need to renew his contract. You don't want your best players to leave and we need him at the club," Essien said. "I think he is only motivated about playing football, he just enjoys playing football. It would take a lot of money to replace him [at Chelsea] but I hope that they can tie him down for a long time."