In-depth: Zidane's comments about Eden Hazard mark start of summer saga

Nothing says it's summer like the moment Real Madrid turn their signings machine back on - the transfer-maker. It's a simple concept, you put in dough, lots and lots of dough, and eventually it spits out a world-class footballer. It gave them James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos last summer and Gareth Bale and Isco the year before that.

While the deals are often relatively quick when they happen, the foundations can be put in place more than a year in advance as the charm offensive begins. Cristiano Ronaldo was heavily mentioned the summer before he moved to Madrid, as a seed was planted in the player’s mind. That being the case, Chelsea fans can have a sense of foreboding with Zinedine Zidane’s comments about Eden Hazard.

“I enjoy everything [Hazard] does on the pitch… I like the way he carries himself," Zidane told French publication Maxifoot. "That decisive streak in him and the fact that he's improving every year. He can still get better too, and I think he's a big reason why Chelsea are top of the table."

These are not extraordinary comments on the surface, but then Real Madrid are not a club who operate only on surface level. There will already be detailed plans about who will be playing for the club next season and, probably, the year after that. The same applies with their coaching staff, with Zinedine Zidane seen as the heir to Carlo Ancelotti.

And let’s not forget that the Frenchman was himself the subject of a Real Madrid transfer coup in 2001, becoming the most expensive signing in the history of football when he joined from Juventus for £46.6m (a world record which the club have broken three times since then). Zidane knows better than anyone how the courting process works at the club, how they flick that switch in players which tells them it cannot get any better than joining the 10-time European champions.

That’s why Zidane’s comments should not be mistaken for idle flattery. Real Madrid use every channel to their advantage because they know, ultimately, they hold all the cards. Premier League clubs have often wanted to believe that they could keep hold of their stars when Los Blancos came calling, but when you look at their record, there are few reasons to be confident. Whether it’s Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale (or Thomas Gravesen), English clubs always end up one player shorter and many millions of pounds richer when Real come calling.

So Chelsea have good reason to believe Real Madrid will be in touch some time soon, with Eden Hazard looking ever more like a player of the highest calibre. Of course, no player is bigger than a club like Chelsea... but no club is bigger than Real Madrid.

Matt Law (Telegraph): "While Hazard will no doubt be flattered by praise from Zidane, who he idolised as a child, the player is settled at Chelsea and is unlikely to have his head turned at this particular moment. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has previously admitted that every player has a price, but Real would have to make a world record offer to stand any chance of tempting the Portuguese to sell Hazard."

Simon Johnson (Evening Standard): "The Belgium international, who is expected to be named PFA Player of the Year on Sunday, signed a five-and-a-half year contract in February. But Real Madrid will not be perturbed having prised Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric from the Premier League in recent years. And although Hazard is now Chelsea’s top earner on £200,000 a week, Real have the financial power to beat that with Ronaldo their best-paid player on around £275,000 a week."