Chelsea superstar Thibaut Courtois has stated that he does not want to sign a contract extension with the Blues and will be hoping to join Real Madrid next season. The Los Blancos are on red alert after Courtois has publicly insisted that he will not extend his stay at Stamford Bridge as they are in dire need of a new goalkeeper.
One club’s loss is another’s gain, that’s how football and business in football works. At the moment, Chelsea is sitting fifth in the table, struggling this season, unlikely to make a Champions League berth their own with Tottenham and Liverpool likely to take the third and fourth spot. The Blues were dumped out of the Champions League Round of 16 against La Liga giants Barcelona in a comedy of errors over the two legs and Chelsea also suffered humiliation against local London rivals Arsenal in the semi-finals of the League Cup. And the FA Cup final against Manchester United later this month remains the only hope of salvaging any silverware this campaign.
This torrid season with no hope of Champions League next term will mean that Chelsea will lose out of some key stars in the summer transfer window. The first player to decide his fate is Belgian ace and keeper Thibaut Courtois who has told the club’s hierarchy that he wants to leave next summer. Courtois reportedly has no intention of extending his contract which expires next summer and is content with just running down his contract until the end of next season.
The 25-year-old keeper has been really good for Chelsea ever since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2014. Chelsea initially signed Courtois back in 2011 but was immediately loaned out to Atletico Madrid. At the Vincente Calderon, Courtois helped Atleti to the La Liga title producing incredible performances between the sticks for the Spanish outfit.
However, one major factor that is pushing Courtois to move to the Spanish capital is the fact that his family and children live in Madrid. The Belgian ace has already publicly stated his love and affection for the ones he loves and wants to be near them. In December Courtois told VTM Station, ‘I love my children to death, When you miss them, you are sometimes wondering – shouldn’t I play in Spain in the next few years? That’s why I want to take my time to make a decision on that contract extension.’
Real Madrid is plotting a move to lure Courtois to the Santiago Bernabeu as the European champions look to replace Costa Rican Keylor Navas. The Madrid star is already 31 years old and despite pulling off some sensational saves this season, his silly errors have cost Madrid, dear. Courtois will certainly be an upgrade over Navas, who has come under criticism from the Madrid faithful.
I think that this is big news coming out of Chelsea. Courtois is arguably the best keeper in the world and losing him would be a big blow for the Blues. Chelsea is now in the dilemma to sell him this summer or allow him to leave for free next window.
