José Mourinho has claimed Eden Hazard can establish himself as “one of the greats of his generation” with Chelsea confident they will agree a new long-term contract in the coming weeks.

“Eden means a lot to us because he’s a fantastic player,” said the manager. “We are feeling day by day his motivation to work hard and improve. We have big hopes that he will go from the top player he is at this moment and will reach higher levels to become one of the best. Even last season his was a big evolution from the Hazard I met in Thailand [pre-season] when I arrived. He was a kid always living on his amazing natural talent.

“But from a certain moment he started to have some tactical education, some mental education,” Mourinho added. “There’s been a big improvement. That’s why we’re seeing he’s a top talent, a fantastic player. But now we want, because his talent allows him to, is to go from a top player to one of the greats of his generation. That’s what we think he can achieve, and why we’re proud that he thinks that Chelsea is the perfect environment for him to undertake that evolution. That’s why he wants to commit to us, and why we want him to commit for the future, too. It’s true Chelsea are trying to have an agreement over a new contract, and that he wants to stay and commit for a few more years. It’s a question of time before he’ll have a new contract.”

The deal should mean Hazard commands a weekly salary in the region of £200,000.