Eden Hazard is expected to delay resuming contract talks with Chelsea as Thibaut Courtois refused to turn up to training for a second day in a row.

While Chelsea are frantically looking for a replacement for Courtois, who wants to join Real Madrid, they are determined to keep Hazard and hope to convince him to sign a new deal.

Real have also expressed an interest in Hazard and the attacking midfielder admitted last month that he would like to go. But unlike his Belgium team-mate, Hazard has accepted Chelsea’s stance and reported to training yesterday.

The 27-year-old was one of the best players at this summer’s World Cup and Chelsea are desperate to secure his long-term future.

Hazard has two years left on his deal worth £200,000 a week, which is why the hierarchy have been able to take a much stronger stance than over Courtois, who has less than 12 months left to run. Chelsea have held talks on a few occasions in the past year over extending Hazard’s terms and increasing his pay to £300,000 a week without anything being agreed.

They have already offered star midfielder N’Golo Kante £290,000 a week to convince the France international to stay for five more years and he is expected to sign a deal.

Chelsea want to hold more negotiations with Hazard as soon as possible but Standard Sport understands that he is in no rush to commit his future and intends to wait to see how things develop.

The Blues have only made one significant signing this summer in Jorginho and are not considered one of the favourites for the Premier League under new coach Maurizio Sarri.

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Defending champions Manchester City beat them easily without Hazard and Kante in the Community Shield on Sunday.They are also not playing in the Champions League for the second time in three seasons having finished fifth last term.

In May, Hazard warned that Chelsea’s recruitment policy was key to any decision he’d make over his future. He said: “I’m waiting for new players. I want good players, because I want to win the Premier League next season.”

He also spoke about the significance that his next contract would probably be the last big one of his career given his age, adding: “That’s why I’ m taking my time. It’s something big, so I need to think about a lot of things.

“But one thing is for sure: I’m happy here.”

Whatever happens, Hazard is not expected to resort to Courtois’ methods which have angered the club and supporters. Chelsea still expected Courtois to turn up for training this week following a post-World Cup holiday even though he is on the verge of a move to Real.

The 26-year-old told Sarri in a phone call last week that he had no intention of staying. The Italian wanted to meet Courtois face to face but his decision to stay away has been taken to exert more pressure on the club to finalise his exit.

Diego Costa used the same tactics last year to force a move to Atletico Madrid. He was fined two weeks’ wages, although Chelsea weren’t available for comment this morning to clarify whether Courtois would get the same punishment.

Chelsea have been looking all summer for a new No1 but missed out on Alisson to Liverpool and have considered Kasper Schmeichel, Petr Cech, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jordan Pickford and Pepe Reina. Stoke’s Jack Butland has risen up the wish-list but is set to cost a similar amount to the £35.5m fee Real are prepared to pay for Courtois.

It has been reported in Spain that Chelsea are going to meet the £89m release clause in Atletico keeper’s Jan Oblak’s contract but he is not interested in joining the club. Sources in Spain also claim they are keen on Athletic Bilbao’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, who rejected a move to Real in January. He signed a new deal instead which includes a buy-out clause worth £71.5m — a fee Chelsea are unlikely to pay.