6 players Chelsea could replace Eden Hazard with

It's been a protracted affair, but surely this is the summer where Eden Hazard finally gets his transfer to Real Madrid. Realistically, Chelsea cannot hope to retain the Premier League's best player when the Champions League places look like an unrealistic proposition, let alone the title.

It might not be a foregone conclusion though, that this will irreparably cripple Chelsea's attack. This summer could be a very interesting one with plenty of extremely high profile players rumoured to be considering transfers.

Here are six options that could open up for Chelsea who would go a long way to filling a Hazard shaped void in the team:

#6 – Christian Pulisic

Pulisic playing at Wembley this year: next season his home turf will be 10 miles south.

Firstly, a player Chelsea have already recruited. Obviously whoever is in charge of Chelsea next season (at this point, looking unlikely to be Maurizio Sarri) would ideally like to wield both Hazard and Pulisic when the latter arrives in London.

However, Abramovich and CEO Guy Laurence must have had at least one eye on a future without Hazard when they spent £58 million on the American. Pulisic is still very much a work in progress, with just 25 professional goals so far, but he is still just 20, and a player who established himself as a regular in the Dortmund line up as a teenager.

He is two-footed, fast and direct, and will be an exciting addition to the Premier League. Pulisic could well be the long term heir to Hazard, but it's unlikely Chelsea will let the transfer window go by without bringing in a more established replacement.

#5 – Callum Hudson Odoi

A rare appearance for one of England's most exciting talents

It seems to be a case of when, not if, Maurizio Sarri is relieved of his duties at Chelsea, and Callum Hudson Odoi will be one of the reasons fans are content with the prospect. Hudson Odoi is one of the most exciting prospects in the country, and Sarri's bizarre aversion to him has seen him come under heavy criticism.

Bayern Munich have made no secret of their desire to bring him to Germany, where it seems inevitable he will prosper just as Jadon Sancho has; however, it is just about possible that Chelsea make a dramatic U-turn on their usual policy with youth prospects, and put him in the first team next season.

Most Chelsea fans would take Pulisic and Hudson Odoi on the flanks over Willian and Pedro, which would allow the inevitably monstrous transfer fee for Hazard to be spent on other deficiencies in the team. It would be an enormous gamble though, and one that would not be in keeping with how the club have operated traditionally.

#4 – Gareth Bale

Bale has already spent years tormenting Premier League defenses, including Chelsea's

Perpetually linked with a move away since he arrived in Madrid, Bale has now slipped behind Lucas Vasquez and Vinicius Junior in the pecking order. Hazard’s arrival would probably, not possibly, be the death knell for the Welshman’s time at the Bernabeu.

How clean then would it be if Bale then formed part of the deal for Hazard. Lest we forget, Bale remains the player who scored that overhead kick in the Champions League final last year; the player who at times in his final season in England, looked like an older brother toying with his younger sibling’s friends.

If Chelsea can get Bale fit, and keep him fit, as well as the cash Madrid would inevitably also offer, this deal could see them replacing the most dominant attacking force in English football with the most dominant attacking force in English football.

He's capable of playing through the middle, freeing up the wings for Willian and Pulisic, or either wing, leaving Chelsea with the money to recruit Higuain or another permanent striker.

#3 – Paulo Dybala

Whilst this season has been challenging, Dybala remains among the world elite

The past six months have seemingly made Paulo Dybala much more expendable to Juventus. There is talk of him being used as a makeweight to bring Mohammed Salah to Turin, amidst existing links to Real Madrid and Man United.

A season ago, Dybala was the heir apparent to Messi, but with just 2 goals in the league this season, he has frustrated Allegri and the Juventus management. Dybala has struggled for consistency, but is an elite player, several years younger than Hazard.

He shares Hazard's tendency to pick the ball up from deeper positions, with a sharp turn of pace and exceptional technique. Whilst he lacks the Belgian's raw dribbling ability, Dybala has twice scored more than 20 goals in a single campaign for Juventus, which Hazard is yet to achieve for Chelsea.

Additionally, Dybala is a more natural fit for the false 9 role Hazard has often been shoehorned into, can play on either flank or at number 10. This summer could be the cheapest Dybala may be available until he is in his mid-thirties, and Chelsea would be wise to at least consider him.

#2 – Nabil Fekir

Fekir holds off John Stones in the Champions League victory over City

Nabil Fekir will depart Lyon, where he has spent his whole career, with a heavy heart, but depart he must. It is a shame, because not too long ago Lyon were regular champions of France, but the bottleneck PSG have created at the top of Ligue 1 means that Fekir is unlikely to ever collect a league title at the Stade de Lyon, let alone European honours.

The reasons behind the collapse of his potential move to Liverpool remain unclear; a failed medical seems unlikely considering the amount of appearances he has made for Liverpool. What seems more probable is that there was simply not a natural slot for him in the Liverpool team; their front 3 are close to untouchable, and Klopp favours more workmanlike midfielders.

However, Fekir's talent is undeniable. He has been compared to Messi, and with 18 goals and 8 assists in the league last season, was one of the most productive players in Europe. Like Dybala, Fekir can play wide, in a number 10 role or as a central number 9, and would certainly at least mitigate the loss of Hazard.

#1 – Phillipe Coutinho

Coutinho has struggled for a regular place in the Barcelona side

Coutinho's situation at Barcelona is beginning to resemble Gareth Bale's at Madrid. An ex-Premier League superstar who left for an astronomical fee, who now cannot hold down a place in the team.

Benched for the first leg of Barcelona's Champions League leg at Lyon, Coutinho is essentially competing with Ousmane Dembele for a place in Barcelona's front 3, and it increasingly looks like Dembele's pace is the more natural fit for the role.

Naturally, the rumour mill is in full swing. Manchester United have been linked, and have even been quoted with a price according to some sources, while there are plenty at Liverpool who would welcome him back with open arms. As far as Chelsea are concerned, Coutinho is a natural replacement for Hazard.

Whilst their playing style is different, both operate best on the left hand side of a front 3, and both are proven Premier League match winners.

Hazard's specialty might be slaloming runs opening up space for either himself or the strikers, whilst Coutinho has mastered the art of dropping the shoulder, coming inside the full back and curling one in from outside the box, but Chelsea would not be complaining either way.