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Scott Trotter

Chelsea news: Blues make strange Eden Hazard decision, forward to meet Marina Granovskaia

It hasn't been a vintage season for Chelsea but they head into the final weeks of the campaign with still plenty left to play for.

The Blues had a dramatic match with Slavia Prague on Thursday but prevailed 4-3 to make it through to the Europa League semi-final 5-3 on aggregate.

Now attention returns to the Premier League and the hope for a place in the top four. Chelsea are behind in that race at the moment as they sit in fifth having played a game more than Arsenal who lie fourth on the same number of points.

Maurizio Sarri's side don't play until Monday night but the build up for that match has already started - we have compiled all the latest Chelsea news from the last 24 hours below:

Eden Hazard transfer fee

Chelsea have reduced their asking price for Eden Hazard, according to the Mirror .

The Blues have accepted that the Belgian is set to leave Stamford Bridge and they are looking for £90m with Lille’s Nicolas Pepe the ideal replacement.

Chelsea star Eden Hazard. (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Transfer blow for Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea as Serie A ace drops major hint about his future  

Spanish publication AS suggest that Real Madrid have opened talks with Chelsea about Hazard as Pepe emerges as the key target.

The 23-year-old has starred for the French side this season but the Ivory Coast ace has informed Lille he wants to leave and a £70m price tag has been placed on his head.

Of course, any more would rely on Chelsea successfully appealing their transfer ban or delaying the punishment in time for the summer.

Olivier Giroud contract

Maurizio Sarri has revealed that Olivier Giroud's contract has been extended thanks to a clause in the striker's contract.

The former Arsenal forward's future has been subject to a great deal of speculation due to his lack of playing time outside of the Europa League despite an impressive return in goals in the competition.

Sarri said: “He is sure (to stay) because the club has an option for another year, another season.

“I spoke to the club two days ago and we agreed to exercise the option. So, he will remain.”

However, Giroud's future is far from resolved in the Frenchman's mind.

He said: "When the boss gives me a chance to bring something else to the team, I try to give my best and I am fully committed.

“I have been efficient. It has worked up until now so hopefully I will get some more goals to get us to the final.

“Trust me, I am very frustrated when I am not on the pitch but I don’t want to show it.

“I am not happy to play second choice so that’s why I have said next year I will need to have a more important role.

Marina Granovskaia currently heads up transfers and other matters but she is Chelsea's answer to Ed Woodward, not a director of football. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

"I don’t know whether it will be here. I have no clue about that. I have to meet Marina (Granovskaia), but obviously I’m happy to be here.

“The thing is I just want to enjoy it. It’s not because I’m 32 and have won the World Cup, because I don’t want to retire.

“I want to be the first choice. They must talk to me before the end of the season.”

N'Golo Kante's Europa League claim

The Blues might be the favourites with the bookies to win the Europa League, but it is not a title N'Golo Kante believes the West London side hold with Arsenal, Valencia and Eintracht Frankfurt left in the competition.

The World Cup winner was pleased with his side's performance overall but admitted Thursday's second half against Slavia Prague was difficult.

"We’re not favourites," Kante said. "We played a good match tonight and we will do all we can to get to the final. But we’re not favourites.

 What Chelsea's players have said after beating Slavia Prague to reach Europa League semi-finals

"It was important for us to win this game. I think it’s important to be in the semi-finals, it was our target.

"We played a good game, it was difficult in the second-half but we got what we wanted and we are happy for that.

Check out what else the midfielder had to say here .

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from  football.london  via the free  football.london app  for  iPhone  and  Android .

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