New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has revealed that he would like to keep talented Belgium international pair Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge next season.
Both players have been heavily linked with moves to Real Madrid recently, with star attacker Hazard and ‘keeper Courtois reportedly keen on quitting London for the Spanish capital.
However, Sarri has not given up hope of the talented pair staying with Chelsea and he is hopeful that he can convince them to remain at the club after a face-to-face meeting, and spending some time with him on the training pitch:
“The players you are referring to are very high level players and I would like to keep them in my squad,” said Sarri at his official unveiling as Blues boss on Wednesday.
“A telephone call without looking them in the eyes would not give me any certainty.
“I would like to meet these players face to face, talk to them and understand what the best thing to do would be for everyone.
“Before that I would also like a player to come on the pitch for four or five days together with me, to have a clear idea of what the situation is.
“Hazard is a very high-level player. He’s one of the top two or three European players.”