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Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard put transfer rumours to rest

By George Perry

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea, Eden Hazard of Chelsea and Michy Batshuayi of Chelse pose with the Premier League Trophy after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on May 21, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea, Eden Hazard of Chelsea and Michy Batshuayi of Chelse pose with the Premier League Trophy after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on May 21, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea and the transfer rumour-mongering world can remove two stars from the silly season circus. Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard will happily stay with Chelsea, Courtois’ contract terms permitting.

Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa used to have a lot in common. Both played for Atletico Madrid before coming to Chelsea. And both preferred their time in Madrid to their time in west London, at least if their public yearnings to return are any indication.

But of the two, one grew out of the discontent phase and the other did not. For better (Courtois) or worse (Costa), these two will likely remain Chelsea teammates for the foreseeable future.

Chelsea set aside Thibaut Courtois’ contract talks until the summer, lumping his with Costa’s in January. With the season now over, the title in hand and the summer upon us, Courtois is ready to sign just about whatever Chelsea put in front of him.

"I am happy at Chelsea. I hope they reward me with a good contract then there will be no doubt I will sign it. – ESPN FC"

Courtois’ teammate and compatriot Eden Hazard is similarly satisfied being on a title winning team. Hazard is not due for a contract negotiation this year, but has been the subject of any number of rumours linking him to Real Madrid. He minimally encouraged these rumours over the last year, particularly coming off of Chelsea’s 2015/16 season.

Must Read: Eden Hazard's Ballon d'Or ambitions could secure his future at Chelsea

However, he took a major step towards affirming his place at Chelsea a few weeks ago when he said he believed he could win the Ballon d’Or as a Blue. Once he recognized that he was at a club – and now with a manager – that could help him realize his highest personal ambitions, he has little reason to depart.

"I’m at one of the best clubs in the world and I think I’m gonna stay for a couple of years. I’m very happy. You can see on the pitch that I’m happy. – Evening Standard"

The next “couple of years” will be crucial for Hazard and Chelsea. If the club win – or at least come increasingly close to winning – the Champions League, Hazard may add a few years to his couple of years. If Chelsea can hold Hazard through the years of his peak transfer value, while bringing him more team trophies, they will have a good chance of holding on to him until he retires.

Hazard believes that if he can win the Champions League and the World Cup he will challenge the La Liga monopoly on Ballon d’Or winners. Chelsea will need to show that they are serious Champions League contenders in the next two seasons so Hazard will not think he needs to go to Europe to win the big-eared trophy.

Next: Too good to check: Dani Alves enters the transfer rumour mill

With Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard uninterested in a transfer, Chelsea can focus their attention and money on building a Champions League-calibre team around them. Depending on how this transfer window plays out, Hazard’s goals of winning the World Cup and Champions League may come to rest on a similar core of players.

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