I know what I am going to do,” confirmed Eden Hazard to a French radio station back in February, “I have made my decision.” The very fact that Chelsea didn’t immediately release a photograph of the Belgian, pen in hand, having just added his signature to a new contract, meant that the prospect of him leaving Stamford Bridge was all but assured.

But the seemingly never-ending talk of his transfer – most likely to Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid – has not impacted his performances in a Chelsea shirt, much to his credit. In fact, Chelsea’s star man is having his best season for the club, even if the blues have had a tough time adapting to Maurizio Sarri’s philosophy and tactics.

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At the time of writing he has scored 19 goals in all competitions, matching his best for the club (back in the 2014-15 season) and he still has four games left to play in the Premier League and another three in the Europa League – if the West London club make it to the final in far-flung Baku, Azerbaijan.

He is top of the assists charts in the EPL too, with 12, and has been involved in almost half of all Chelsea’s goals this season (49.1 per cent to be exact). This demonstrates, in quite stark terms, just how important a player he is for his team and how much further down the table his side would be without him. Owing to the outstanding performances of players such as Raheem Sterling, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane this year, and the fact that Chelsea are not fighting for the title, Hazard's statistical achievements and individual impact in certain games haven't received nearly as much recognition as they've deserved.

Here are just a few key highlights:

September : He scored a hat-trick against Cardiff City and the winning goal to knock Liverpool out of the League Cup.

: He scored a hat-trick against Cardiff City and the winning goal to knock Liverpool out of the League Cup. December : He scored the winning goal away to Brighton and then a brace against Watford on Boxing Day.

: He scored the winning goal away to Brighton and then a brace against Watford on Boxing Day. January : He scored the winning goal (noticing a pattern yet?) against Tottenham in the League Cup to take the tie to penalties. (Chelsea went through.)

: He scored the winning goal (noticing a pattern yet?) against Tottenham in the League Cup to take the tie to penalties. (Chelsea went through.) March : He scored an injury-time goal to clinch a point against an in-form Wolves.

: He scored an injury-time goal to clinch a point against an in-form Wolves. April: He capped off a man of the match performance to score the two goals that gave Chelsea victory over their London rivals West Ham.

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Quite simply, he has been at the very top of his game. And this has been while playing for a team that has been inconsistent all year and incredibly poor at times (a six-nil defeat to Manchester City will long be remembered by blues fans for all the wrong reasons).

Speculation regarding his move away from Stamford Bridge will no doubt continue unabated therefore. The Telegraph recently reported that Chelsea want £100 million from Madrid president Florentino Pérez, as his contract runs out in the summer of 2020. Understandably, many Chelsea fans would much rather keep him for another season than cash in once the current campaign comes to an end.

When Tottenham Hotspur sold Gareth Bale back in 2013 for a then world-record fee of £85m, they went on to use that money to sign seven players, some of whom (Christian Eriksen) turned out to be better purchases than others (Roberto Soldado). But with the market having inflated massively since then, Chelsea would only be able to invest in two or three players using these funds, all of whom would be a step down in quality compared to their current number ten.

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And with a potential transfer ban still on the horizon, even if Chelsea did part ways this summer they may not be able to bring in anyone else for two successive windows. That would be, simply put, a disaster for the club.

Hazard's fantastic performances this season have only increased the interest and hype emanating from Spain, but for as long as he remains in a blue shirt he will be the lynchpin in Sarri's side and the man they rely on again and again. In certain games this year, most recently against West Ham, he was simply unplayable, a class above, with every touch, run, shot and pass executed with an effortless ease more usually associated with the duo at the very top of the footballing world order: Ronaldo and Messi.

If Chelsea are to save their season by finishing in the top four or by winning the only piece of silverware still up for grabs, the Europa League, then they will have to hope that Hazard’s excellent form continues until the very last ball is kicked. They will also be hoping that it won't be his last as a Chelsea player.

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