Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta says the squad and supporters must "respect" Eden Hazard's decision to join Real Madrid.

Hazard has informed the club of his desire to leave for the Spanish giants, having failed to secure a move last summer and now entering the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The two clubs have been in discussions for some time with a deal worth around £86 million (€100m) reportedly close to being finalised and could be announced after the Europa League Final.

"He is a very important player for us," he told Sky Sports. "We arrived [at Chelsea] at the same time and, obviously, we want him to stay with us but we have to respect his decision.

"His mind is only on doing well with Chelsea and lifting the trophy in Baku. Then we will see."

Chelsea are in Boston for a post-season charity friendly with New England Revolution, a committment manager Maurizio Sarri has questioned ahead of their trip to Baku.

But Azpilicueta does not expect the four-day trip to impact on their preparations for facing London rivals Arsenal.

He continued: "We have to do anything - train hard, to rest - we have nearly two weeks until the final so it's very important to arrive in the best condition for the final.

"Hopefully we can get in a good shape and lift the trophy."