Thibaut Courtois Contract: Latest News and Rumours on Negotiations with Chelsea

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 11

The deal is done, according to Chelsea's official site:

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Chelsea Football Club is pleased to announce Thibaut Courtois has today signed a new five-year contract.

The goalkeeper joined the Blues from Genk in 2011 and returned to Stamford Bridge this summer having spent the previous three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, where he lifted both the La Liga and Europa League titles. He was also an important member of the Belgian side that reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil this summer.

Courtois said: ‘I’m very happy with this new deal, it’s really nice to have signed this new contract for five years.

‘My future was already sorted but it’s nice to know I’m going to be here for another five years and now I can just concentrate on playing games.’

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Original Text

Thibaut Courtois is edging closer to signing a five-year extension at Stamford Bridge, further cementing the notion that Jose Mourinho sees the stopper as his long-term solution in goal.

The Chelsea and Belgium No. 1 would earn £60,000 a week under the new terms, per the Daily Star's Rhys Turrell, double the amount he rakes in on his current deal, which is set to expire in 2016.

Eraldo Peres/Associated Press

There had been debate as to whether Courtois or Petr Cech would be first choice for the Blues this season, but after starting their first three Premier League fixtures, it seems the former is the preferred option.

The 22-year-old is favourable of an extension, too, telling Sky Sports (h/t ESPN.co.uk) of his intention to prolong his west London stay:

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It's not yet signed. I am here with the national team so it is difficult, but when I am back at Chelsea I will probably sign the new contract. If you play in a team like Chelsea you have to play for every cup, for every championship. There are a lot of great teams in England that want to win the Premier League but I think we have had a great start and we have to continue like that.

Of course the Champions League is something great that you don't want to miss. Last year with Atletico I played the final. I also played the final of the cup when we won against Real two years ago. Of course as a professional and a winner you always want to play every game, so we will see what the decision is of the coach. But of course I am a professional player and I want to play every game that is possible.

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Courtois will have been extremely encouraged by his start to life under Mourinho, with Chelsea soaring to the top of the Premier League while scoring 11 goals in their first three games.

In near-opposite fashion to last season, however, the club has been surprisingly open at the back, conceding four goals in that time frame. In contrast, it took them seven games to leak that many goals in 2013-14.

Sky Sports News compare Cech's beginning, also at age 22, with that of his apparent successor:

Whether that can be attributed to Courtois is up for debate, but Chelsea are going about a remodelling process in defence. Ashley Cole and David Luiz left over the summer, with Filipe Luis and Kurt Zouma added to their ranks.

Broadcaster Guy Mowbray hints that while Cech's absence may be an unfamiliar sight to get used to, Courtois is fully deserving of his spot as the primary choice under Mourinho:

Having spent three consecutive seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, Courtois' last long-term contract with Chelsea turned out to be little more than an opportunity for the Blues to develop the player's talent elsewhere.

It was perhaps more effective than the club had even hoped, but one can rest assured any new deal won't be leading to any loan spells in the future.

Cech was being linked with a number of European sides hoping to exploit his situation in west London, with the Daily Mail reporting that Paris Saint-Germain were in for a deadline day loan:

However, the Czech international has remained to fight for his place, a sense of competition that he won't have become used to over the past decade.

It's understandable that both stoppers feel they deserve priority listing at Stamford Bridge, but news of a Courtois extension would ultimately work against Cech, his chances presumably growing fewer in number as a result.