Cesc Fabregas 'speaking to Eden Hazard often' as Chelsea aim to keep star player out of Real Madrid's clutches

Cesc Fabregas has admitted that he has been talking regularly with Eden Hazard and says that Chelsea "need" to keep their star player amid interest from Real Madrid.

Although new manager Maurizio Sarri has decided to wait until Hazard returns from a three-week holiday on August 6 before addressing his future in person, senior members of the Chelsea squad have been in contact with the Belgium winger.

Fabregas himself went from Arsenal to Barcelona in 2011 but does not want his friend to follow his path from the Premier League to La Liga.

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“I won't lie, I speak to him often,” said Fabregas. “He is the best player at the club and we need at Chelsea to keep the best players. He knows the fans love him and he’s a player we love to play with. For sure, we want him to stay.”

Hazard, whose current deal runs until 2020 and has been offered an extension worth £300,000-a-week, has suggested that he could leave and will be acutely aware of the widely-reported interest from Real Madrid following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sarri was unveiled by Chelsea on Wednesday - their 13th managerial change since 2004 - and travelled with the squad to Perth for their first pre-season match on Monday hoping that the experience of training with him will help.

“Telephone calls without looking them in the eyes would not give them any certainty,” said Sarri. “I want to meet them face to face, talk to them and understand what the best thing will be to do for everyone. I would also like a player to come with me on the pitch for four or five days.”

Chelsea begin their league season against Huddersfield on August 11, while the transfer window for signing any potential replacements closes on August 9.

Sarri has talked often about how his philosophy will be underpinned by a desire to make the game “fun” and, upon arriving in Australia, Fabregas said that he was enjoying a style of management that has been compared to his old Barcelona colleague Pep Guardiola.

"His way of football, I believe in," said Fabregas, "I really like it, I grew up in this system, in this quality of football, that he wants to bring to the football club.

"I think the type of player like myself, we can take a lot of advantage. We want to play well, we want to be attractive, but we want to win as well."