Barcelona have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Courtois has long been reported to be discontent at Chelsea, and wants a move to Spain for both professional and personal benefits. According to reports from England, the Belgian international has fallen out with Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon.
In fact, Courtois has even met incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and informed him that he does not want to be coached by Lollichon anymore, according to a report in One World Sports. Conte himself is said to have reassured the goalkeeper that he will either resolve the issues with Lollichon or arrange for the Belgian’s transfer if a decent offer is received.
Courtois has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid who are fed up with Manchester United’s repeated attempts to thwart their efforts to sign David De Gea.
Now, however, a report in Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo suggests that Barcelona have also entered the race to sign Courtois.
The Catalans are expected to do a bit of restructuring in their squad in the summer transfer window after a disastrous run of form saw them being knocked out of the Champions League and drop a nine point lead in the La Liga.
Also, their second choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League. Ter Stegen, who plays in the Champions League and Copa Del Rey matches for Barcelona, is unhappy with the amount of game time he gets at the club. He has been linked with a move to Manchester City and Liverpool in the summer.
Problem of plenty in goal?
There is however one problem for Barcelona, who are said to be looking to replace Ter Stegen with Courtois. While the German took part in the club’s Champions League and Copa Del Rey matches, Chile custodian Claudio Bravo was fielded in the La Liga fixtures.
However, if they sign Courtois, they are likely to face the same problem they were facing before. Courtois has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world over the last few seasons, and will not be happy with just playing in the Champions League and cup competitions. He will definitely want to be a regular starter in La Liga.
Also, one of the reasons why the Belgian is eager to leave Chelsea in the summer is that he wants to play Champions League football. So giving him the league responsibility while letting Bravo play in Europe and the cup competitions may not make him too happy either.
