London: Chelsea have moved quickly to try to head off interest from Real Madrid in Thibaut Courtois by opening talks over a new contract for the goalkeeper.

With the Premier League title secure, Chelsea are working on plans for next season and have held discussions regarding the futures of Courtois and Eden Hazard, who have both been linked with Real.

Chelsea also face the prospect of having to break two world records to land their main transfer targets, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku and Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk.

The Daily Telegraph revealed at the weekend that informal talks between Chelsea and Hazard took place last week and it is understood there has also been a meeting between the club and Courtois’s advisors aimed at negotiating a new contract.

His current contract runs to 2019, but, with Real in the market for a new keeper and also interested in Manchester United’s David de Gea, Chelsea want to secure the long-term future of the Belgium international.

It is believed Courtois earns pounds 100,000 (Dh478,215) a week at Stamford Bridge, which is around half of what De Gea is paid by United, with the Spaniard likely to secure improved terms if he joins Real.

Chelsea will, therefore, need to pay Courtois well over pounds 150,000 a week in a new deal and the 25-year-old may want to be sure of Real’s intentions before committing himself.

Sources in Spain believe Real are more likely to sign De Gea than Courtois, with Chelsea hopeful of holding on to their keeper.

Hazard has been told that he can achieve all of his ambitions with Chelsea, with the club willing to pay him pounds 300,000 a week if he signs a new contract and adamant he will not be sold this summer.

The 26-year-old gave an encouraging signal during an interview in which he said he could win the Ballon d’Or at Chelsea, although, like Courtois, he may want to find out what Real are planning before agreeing a new deal.

Lukaku is hoping to rejoin Chelsea in time to go on their pre-season tour to China and Singapore in July, but the club will have to pay pounds 90 million to make sure the transfer does not become a protracted affair.

Everton have publicly valued Lukaku at pounds 100 million, but it is thought a bid of pounds 90 million, which would exceed the world-record fee of pounds 89 million United paid for Paul Pogba last summer, will be enough to land the Belgian swiftly.

Southampton have claimed they do not need to sell Van Dijk, who is believed to favour a move to Chelsea, but talks have taken place about getting a fee in excess of the pounds 50 million Paris St-Germain paid for David Luiz in 2014, which remains the world record for a defender. Van Dijk is Chelsea’s top central defensive target, ahead of Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte, who turned down a move to Manchester City 12 months ago.