- Chelsea handed major blow in the transfer market
- Thibaut Courtois wants to leave for Real Madrid
- The Belgian is awaiting the go-ahead from Zinedine Zidane
- READ MORE: Real Madrid look again at Manchester United and Chelsea stars after latest transfer development
Chelsea have been handed a huge blow in the transfer market as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wants the chance to move to Real Madrid.
According to Don Balon, the Belgium international has become the priority target of Madrid president Florentino Perez, and is just waiting for Zinedine Zidane to green light the move.
While Zidane has largely shown faith in current ‘keeper Keylor Navas, it’s widely felt that Real could do with an upgrade in that position.
Courtois would certainly fit the bill, having shown himself to be one of the finest shot-stoppers in the world during his time at Stamford Bridge, where he’s played a key role in winning two Premier League titles.
In a revelation that will be most gutting for Blues supporters, Don Balon claim Courtois wants to leave for Madrid in order to fulfil his ambition of winning major honours.
It may be that, despite two domestic titles for Chelsea, Courtois feels a move to the Bernabeu would give him more hope of lifting the Champions League – a trophy Los Blancos have won three times in the last four seasons.
Courtois played against Real in one of those finals as he was on the losing side for loan club Atletico Madrid in 2014.
The 25-year-old may understandably want to put that heartbreak behind him by winning the trophy himself, and that could be a tall order at Chelsea, particularly after their decline this season.
Courtois’ current contract expires in the summer of 2019, so there may be pressure on Chelsea to accept a decent offer for him soon or risk losing him on a free in just over a year’s time.