Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is already reportedly planning life back in Spain ahead of a switch to Real Madrid this summer.
According to The Sun, the La Liga giants have made the Belgian shot-stopper their number one target, with Manchester United’s David De Gea being replaced at the top of the list.
It comes as Los Blancos believe that it will be too complicated to prise the Spaniard away from Old Trafford, and so in turn Courtois represents the ‘easier’ option given that it’s claimed he has always had the desire to return to Spain.
The 24-year-old enjoyed a successful loan spell with rivals Atletico Madrid between 2011 and 2014, and will have many fond memories of playing and living in the Spanish capital while having no reservations for going on to play for their bitter rivals.
Further, Keylor Navas could be at risk of being replaced this summer given his poor form in recent weeks, and there is no denying that Courtois would be the more reliable option as he has firmly established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Europe over the last five years.
The report also goes on to mention personal matters including the fact that his wife and daughter still live in Madrid and it’s claimed that they’ve already enrolled the latter at a school in Madrid for next year all indicate that his future lies away from London.
Whether or not that’s all part of his grand plan to return to the city this summer remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly take a huge fee to prise him away from Stamford Bridge as Antonio Conte will not want to lose such a pivotal piece of his squad.