Thursday, 1st November, 2012
Chelsea will look to place Belgian shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois with a Premier League team next season, bringing to an end his Atletico Madrid love affair, according to Spanish daily AS.
Courtois is currently in his second season with Atletico, having joined on loan first in the summer of 2011 for a season and then had that increased, by agreement with parent club Chelsea, for a further year.
The Belgian arrived in Spain fresh off winning the Belgian title with Genk after Chelsea secured his signature and then started to plan the route which would eventually lead to his succeeding 30-year-old Petr Cech between the sticks at Stamford Bridge.
Courtois has been a huge hit in Spain and has helped Atletico to match Barcelona stride for stride at the top of La Liga this season; he also picked up the Europa League with Diego Simeone’s men last season.
It has even been mooted within Spain that Real Madrid are keen on Courtois as Iker Casillas’ successor at the Bernabeu.
However, while Chelsea, and specifically the club’s goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon, are very happy with the progress the shot-stopper has made in the Spanish capital, they are understood to believe he needs to be eased into the English game.
relatedNewsStoryAnd so the plan is to bring Courtois back to London in the summer, when his loan stint with Atletico expires, though a final definitive decision will be made in March.
Then Chelsea will look to send him on loan to another club in the Premier League, preferably in the capital in order that his progress can be closely watched.
Chelsea are keen for Courtois to get to grips with English football sooner rather than later.
The news will be greeted with disappointment in Spain, where he has become a popular figure at the Vicente Calderon.
And a bid from Atletico Madrid to buy the Belgian can surely not be discounted.
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