Atletico Madrid have been sounded out by representatives of Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, according to AS.
The Spanish publication reports that the Belgian stopper is keen on returning to the club where he spent three years on loan.
Courtois’s future at Chelsea has once again been placed in doubt after he reiterated his intention to return to Madrid to be closer to his children.
However, in the interview with Belgian publication Sport Foot Magazine, he confirmed that contract talks over a new deal with the Blues will get underway again this month:
“We agreed to meet again in February because the club had more urgent issues to deal with in January.There is no rush, I am under contract until 2019. Normally, there is no problem, I will extend. I am happy here and I see a club that still wants to win a lot of titles. The signs are positive.”
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has suggested in his column for AS that this interview was once again intended to encourage Atletico’s rival Real Madrid into making a bid for him.
It is believed that Courtois is only one of a number of keepers Real are considering, and he wants to put his name at the top of the list.
Whether those claims have any credence, we will have to wait and see in the coming months. Chelsea will want to secure the 25 year old to a longer term contract before the summer when he will only have 12 months to run on his current deal.
