Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has cast doubt on Eden Hazard’s future after revealing that the club’s players have been told they will be unable to leave this summer if the club’s transfer ban is upheld.

Hazard has been strongly linked with Real Madrid throughout this season, with Zinedine Zidane’s recent reappointment at the Santiago Bernabeu making the move appear more likely.

However, Christensen’s revelation represents another twist in the saga, which came after Chelsea confirmed they have launched an appeal against the two-window transfer ban handed to them following a Fifa investigation into the club’s signing of foreign players under the age of 18.

‘The messages we’ve got are that Chelsea want to keep all the players due to this case,’ the Danish defender told Ekstra Bladet. ‘The situation I have ended up in has been very difficult to accept.’

Having made only three Premier League starts under Maurizio Sarri this term, Christensen had been hoping to depart for pastures new this summer.

But while many Blues fans will want to keep hold of the centre back, his admission is most significant with regard to Hazard’s future.

Chelsea take on Cardiff this weekend as they look to close the three-point gap separating them from Arsenal in fourth.