Thibaut Courtois has revealed via a post on his official Instagram account that he missed Chelsea’s trip to Liverpool on Wednesday because of illness.
After returning from a three-match suspension in the 3-2 defeat to Sunderland, the Belgium goalkeeper sat in the stands for Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Anfield.
Recent reports have claimed that Courtois is preparing to tell incoming Blues manager Antonio Conte that he wants to quit Stamford Bridge in the summer, with Real Madrid having been credited with an interest in his services, according to The Sun.
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There were suggestions that this may have been behind his absence, but Courtois has said that illness caused him to miss the match on his birthday.
The Sun reports that Courtois wants to leave after Chelsea lost their Champions League status, and that Asmir Begovic will become number-one stopper.
Chelsea committed to the 24-year-old’s long-term potential when they sold Petr Cech to rivals Arsenal last summer, a decision they might come to regret.
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