Chelsea’s talks with Thibaut Courtois over a new contract have reportedly stalled, with no further negotiations scheduled at this stage.
The Belgian international still has two years remaining on his current deal and so there will be no panic as of yet from Chelsea’s perspective over his future.
However, not being able to agree on an extension complicates the situation, as they don’t want to head into next summer with no new agreement, thus putting them in a difficult situation as to whether to sell Courtois or keep him for 12 months and risk losing him for nothing, if he opts not to pen a new contract.
According to The Times, talks have stalled for now over his reported £200,000-a-week wage demands, and there is a feeling that he will go into next season without a deal being reached.
The 25-year-old is said to be on around £100,000-week currently, but with a desire to be on the same as Manchester United’s David De Gea, along with his own teammate Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge, he wants to double his salary moving forward.
It’s not explicitly clear at this point as to whether or not Chelsea have rejected those demands, but ultimately it doesn’t paint a particularly positive picture that talks are now on hold indefinitely.
As mentioned above, the time frame of his current contract makes this less of an immediate concern, but surely neither Chelsea nor Courtois want to keep the uncertainty going any longer than it has to, particularly heading into an important season for the club next year.