Eden Hazard hoping Diego Costa will fight his way from Chelsea exile back into the team

EDEN HAZARD is desperate for Diego Costa to bury the hatchet with Chelsea and return to the pitch.

Costa is in exile in Brazil after boss Antonio Conte dumped him by text in the summer.

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The fiery Spaniard, 28, missed out on an Atletico Madrid return and faces awkward talks with the Blues after being named in their Premier League squad.

But Hazard said: "Diego and I have been playing together for three years, we have won everything together except for the Champions League.

"It's a pleasure to play with him, he's a top player and a top person.

"I would like to see him come back, but I don't make the decisions.

"I hope he can find a solution so that we can see him back on the pitch soon."

Costa was left out of Chelsea's Champions League squad, meaning Atletico can play him in Europe and the Blues get a better price for him.

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New signings Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta can all feature.

But Belgium playmaker Hazard, 26, is not convinced Chelsea have improved from last season ahead of a busy schedule this time round.

He told Marca: "I don't know [if the squad is stronger]. We'll see at the end of the season.

"We won the league last year, so if we repeat that this year then we can say that the team is stronger. We have lost some important players, but that's compensated with the new arrivals.

"We will see, adapting to the new squad and trying to win games.

"We just want to win as many trophies as possible, for me personally I haven't won the Champions League so maybe that one would be a little bit more special, but I would prefer us to win everything."

Hazard also handed Chelsea a boost by making himself available for Saturday's Premier League clash at Leicester.

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He missed the start of the season after undergoing surgery on a broken ankle sustained while on Belgium duty in June.

But he said: "I'm already in good condition. I'll be back soon, but not in a hurry."