Chelsea Reportedly Offer to Make Thibaut Courtois World's Best-Paid Goalkeeper

Chelsea have reportedly offered Thibaut Courtois a deal worth more than £200,000 per week and are "increasingly optimistic" the goalkeeper will sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge. 

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, the deal on the table for the Belgian stopper is worth more than David De Gea's £200,000-per-week contract at Manchester United, meaning Courtois could become the world's best-paid goalkeeper.

Law added Chelsea are focused on getting Courtois signed to new terms early in 2018 and are hoping to tie him to the club until 2023.

The 25-year-old's deal runs to 2019, and the Guardian's Dominic Fifield reported in November talks over a new contract were on hold until the end of the season amid links to Real Madrid.

Courtois recently told LaSexta he is attracted by a move back to Spain—he spent three years on loan at Atletico Madrid—as it is where his two children are being raised (via Joe Shread of Sky Sports).

However, he did not put a timescale on when he wanted to return to Madrid: "If it is not now, it will be in some years."

And Chelsea believe they can persuade him to commit himself to the Stamford Bridge outfit for another few years.

Courtois is one of the top goalkeepers in Europe, so it is no surprise the Premier League champions are prepared to offer him huge money to remain at the club.

He is also still young for a goalkeeper and potentially has a decade or more left playing at the top level.

As such, it is possible he could be persuaded to stay at Chelsea knowing he could still have the option of moving to Real in the future.