Thibaut Courtois will be having his Real Madrid medicals on Thursday on his potential £35million move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid were reported to have offered £35million plus midfielder Mateo Kovacic (on loan) for the 2018 FIFA Golden Glove and Belgium first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. But Chelsea is yet to accept the offer, after the Belgian missed training both on Monday and Tuesday without explanation, and has refused to return to England.
Courtois who has based his reason for wanting to leave Chelsea as family-related will be making a return to Madrid after three years with Atletico Madrid on loan from Chelsea.
The three-time European Champions Real Madrid are reported to have reached personal terms with the goalkeeper as they are willing to pay £35million to end their goalkeeper chase. Also, given that Courtois has just one-year left on his contract with Chelsea, it will be a good deal for Chelsea to accept and make him pay his £200,000 fine.
Kovacic is also being thrown in the deal, and depending on his progress, and terms entered by both clubs and Kovacic, Chelsea will have the opportunity to sign him permanently on a fee that will be agreed on in future.
Thibaut Courtois who has remained back in his home country Belgium since the Russian 2018 FIFA world cup, and has refused to report to London like other of his Chelsea teammates, once said anywhere Eden Hazard goes, he would follow. It seems the Belgium teammates are trying to do it one at a time, as Eden Hazard who has been on the radar of Real Madrid for some time now, has suspended his planned move. But the Belgium captain still will not rule out a move away from the club in a year or two, or according to him, when the time is right for him to leave.
The Transfer fee of £35million if accepted by Chelsea will make Courtois who is 26-year old, the 3rd most expensive goalkeeper in the world, behind Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, and Chelsea’s Kepa, who are both first and second most expensive goalkeepers.