According to reports from The Daily Mail, Chelsea are set to hand goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois a new contract amid transfer interest from Real Madrid.
What’s the word?
Make no mistake about it, Real Madrid are on the prowl for a new goalkeeper – despite the impressive form of Keylor Navas since arriving at the Bernabeu in summer 2014. They’ve been linked with Courtois and Manchester United counterpart David De Gea for much of the campaign, but with the summer transfer window now looming, it appears their focus has shifted more towards the latter.
Indeed, Sky Sports have even described De Gea as ‘expected’ to move to the Spanish capital this summer after his planned switch to Real Madrid in 2015 was scuppered by the La Liga transfer deadline and a dodgy tax machine.
As a consequence, Chelsea are now planning to extend their glovesman’s contract, which currently has just two years left to run come the end of the season – the awkward period where clubs have to start considering the prospect of selling up.
Great news for Chelsea then?
No doubt Courtois, who is valued at £34m by transfermarkt.com, drew some criticism last season, along with the majority of his team-mates, as the Blues’ form constantly tanked. But we all know how talented a goalkeeper the Belgium international is, if not through the sheer size of his imposing frame alone, and he now looks set to be Chelsea’s No.1 for a second successful title bid in three years following a series of affluent seasons at Atletico Madrid.
In fact, with De Gea seemingly set to fall out of the picture, Courtois will be virtually unrivalled in discussions over who the Premier League’s best goalkeeper is. Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and former Chelsea man Petr Cech may feel they’re in with a shout, but Courtois is on a different level through his stature, consistency and composure.
Furthermore, Courtois strikes as the kind of goalkeeper who’ll be remarkably consistent over a long period even when he’s not quite as flexible when it comes to shot-stopping, a lot like his former team-mate Cech. Indeed, should De Gea leave this summer and Courtois sign a new deal, Chelsea may end up boasting the best goalie in England for the best part of the next decade.
