Real Madrid will reportedly be unable to complete a deal for £32m target Thibaut Courtois, unless Chelsea first sign a replacement for the goalkeeper.
The Belgian international has been a fundamental figure in Chelsea’s recent success, winning two Premier League titles with the club while firmly establishing himself as one of the top shot-stoppers in Europe.
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In turn, it’s no surprise that the reigning European champions are said to be interested, albeit it’s questionable as to whether it’s absolutely necessary given Keylor Navas has impressed for the most part between the posts at the Bernabeu.
However, according to Sky Sports, while Real Madrid are linked with a £32m move for Courtois, it is now reported that Chelsea will not allow their first-choice goalkeeper to leave Stamford Bridge until they’ve signed a replacement to fill the void.
Given that the transfer deadline for English clubs is less than two weeks away, time is certainly running out for that to happen.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen as to whether or not Real Madrid get their man before the start of the new campaign or if they’re forced to wait until next summer when Courtois may well be a free agent given his current deal is set to expire.
From Chelsea’s perspective, it’s undoubtedly the most sensible strategy that they can adopt. While Maurizio Sarri will surely prefer not to lose quality individuals this summer, they will arguably have no choice but to run the risk of seeing Courtois leave for nothing next year if they can’t find a quality successor in the next week or so as they certainly don’t want to be left short.
Willy Caballero and summer signing Rob Green offer depth, but question marks would certainly be raised if either was promoted to being the regular No.1 for Chelsea next season.