Eden Hazard needs to leave Chelsea in order to push himself to the standards of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Graeme Souness.
Hazard has been strongly linked with a Stamford Bridge departure this summer and has courted the interest of Real Madrid throughout this season.
Souness has challenged the Belgian to find a new environment that can take him that next level of elite talent.
'If Hazard had a different personality, he’d have left Chelsea by now. If he’d been that demanding type, he’d have left already because he is world class. Who would not to take him?', he writes in The Sunday Times.
'Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich — everybody would want him. His first goal on Monday was sensational. Few players are capable of that, the balance and the speed. He’s all there in terms of power and physique, not the tallest but extremely strong.
'Where will Chelsea be without him? To lose him would be a huge blow because he’s their one outstanding talent. The word is he’s a really good lad, but he can be accused of getting in his armchair a bit during games and drifting out of them.
'That’s why it’s now or never. He needs to be in a more challenging environment. He has been fabulous for Chelsea but needs to be pushed, by himself or the environment he’s in, to go to the next level. Moving to Real Madrid can bring that out of him.'
The Liverpool legend believes Hazard pips Neymar in the best of the rest stakes in world football.
'There’s no doubt he’s in the category, along with Neymar, who will take the mantle when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo retire. I’m not suggesting he’s anywhere near as good as them, but he’s in that group behind them and an outstanding talent.
'I prefer him to Neymar because he’s a more solid citizen and more professional off the pitch than the Brazilian, judging by pictures we see in the papers. Leaving Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain tells you a lot about Neymar.
'Hazard doesn’t throw himself to the ground at every opportunity and is a team player. His first thought appears to be going to help the team, rather than going out to grab the headlines.'