Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is reportedly set to listen to offers for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as he lines up a cheap alternative for the shot-stopper.
The Belgian international is currently on duty at Euro 2016 with Marc Wilmots’ side, and will look to clear up his future at Stamford Bridge with incoming boss Conte after the tournament ends.
While it appeared as though he was set to stay and form an important part of the Italy coach’s future plans, The Sun have claimed the opposite, with Conte set to listen to offers for him.
In turn, he is eyeing a cut-price move for Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy, with the 25-year-old emerging on the club’s transfer radar as they plan a shake-up at Stamford Bridge ahead of next season.
El Shenawy would in all probability act as back-up to Asmir Begovic, who continues to push for a more prominent role at Chelsea having had to play the role of second choice to Courtois since his arrival in west London.
Whether or not the move goes ahead remains to be seen though, as it seems an odd choice to make for Conte on the face of it, as he would undoubtedly benefit from keeping as many of the top names at Chelsea at the club for his first year in charge.
However, perhaps he knows something that we don’t with regards to Courtois and/or is a big fan of Begovic and will be confident in handing over the gloves to him as of next season.
Either way, Courtois will be a big loss for the club if he does indeed leave, although the transfer fee that he is likely to demand will put Conte in a strong position to spend and strengthen the squad as a whole as he looks to get straight to work as soon as Euro 2016 concludes.