Thibaut Courtois is reportedly seeking a move to Real Madrid, despite Chelsea willing to make him the highest paid goalkeeper in the world.
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is interested in a move to the Spanish giants, claims Spanish journalist Guillem Balague. The 6’6 Belgian was a Madrid target for a while and it seems the player himself is interested in a return to the Spanish capital.
Courtois has been in superb form this season and has kept 10 clean sheets in 20 club appearances, conceding just 14 times in the process. At just 25, the towering Belgian has quite some time in his kitty before he hangs up his boots.
Courtois has 18 months left on his contract, however the Belgian has yet to put pen to paper on an extension. The shot-stopper wanted salary at par with best-paid goalkeeper De Gea but talks didn’t progress well in the summer, with Courtois still on £100,000-a-week.
However, looking at Real Madrid’s advances, Chelsea are willing to make the Belgian the highest paid goalkeeper in the world by offering him a mammoth £200,000-a-week pay package.
Real Madrid have their own problems at both offensive and defensive ends. Madrid’s no.1 goalkeeper Keylor Navas has been in fine form this season with 4 clean sheets in 9 La Liga appearances for the club. But, the Costa Rican has seen his season marred by injuries while backup goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has done little to earn the trust of Zidane.
With both goalkeeper 31 years of age, Madrid are looking to add a young, proven shot-stopper to their ranks.
Madrid were linked heavily with Manchester United goalie David De Gea in the summer of 2015 – a transfer that botched at the last moment due to paper-work issue. Los Blancos have since turned their sights on Chelsea’s Courtois and consider him as a much viable option.
Considering the fact that Courtois’ partner along with his 2 childrens stay in Spain, Madrid are hopeful of luring the Belgian to Bernabeu. Also, the Belgian had a super-successful 3-year loan stint with Atletico Madrid, so acclimatising to Spanish football won’t be an issue. Courtois himself has iterated the desire of moving back someday on several occasions, which has only added fuel to fiery rumours of Belgian swapping grounds.
The Chelsea board is aware of Courtois’ value to the team, however they are also looking at options in case the former Genk man makes the move. Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, 24, has been touted as a potential replacement. Sevilla’s Sergio Rico, also 24, is another name on the list that also contains domestic options like Jack Butland.
To put things into perspective, Chelsea will do all in its power to stop the move from going through, and if somehow they did – for sure, it will be for loads of money!
