Chelsea Reportedly Ready to Resist Thibaut Courtois Offers Amid Exit Rumours

Chelsea would reportedly rather lose Thibaut Courtois for nothing next summer instead of selling him in the current window without landing a replacement.

According to Robert Summerscales of the MailOnline, while Real Madrid are keen to sign the Belgium international and the player himself is ready to leave Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will not sanction a sale until they find an alternative.

"Leicester's Danish No. 1 Kasper Schmeichel and Everton's England star Jordan Pickford remain on Chelsea's radar," continued the report. "Courtois has yet to return to Chelsea this summer, having been granted extra time off after featuring in all seven of Belgium's games at the World Cup in June and July."

The Blues were also said to be interested in Alisson Becker before he became the most expensive goalkeeper in history and joined Liverpool for £65 million.

Courtois has just one year left on his contract at Chelsea, meaning he could potentially leave for free next summer and even agree a pre-contract with overseas clubs from January onwards.

The Premier League transfer window closes on August 9, leaving Chelsea with little time to potentially get a deal done. It means all parties will need to step up their efforts if Courtois is going to end up moving to the Spanish capital.

According to Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws, the European champions still expect to get this transfer completed:

Courtois offered a reminder of just how good a goalkeeper he is during the summer, when he was excellent in Belgium's run to the semi-finals of the World Cup. They eventually finished third, with the Chelsea man exceptional between the sticks.

His performance against Brazil in the quarter-finals was especially memorable:

He's been setting similar standards at Chelsea down the years, too. Courtois has been the man at the base of the team for two of the Blues' title wins in the last four years, commanding his box in trademark style and pulling off a number of excellent stops.

With that in mind, it's not a shock Chelsea aren't willing to sanction a sale without sorting out a replacement. After all, a season of major transition appears to be on the cards at Stamford Bridge following the appointment of manager Maurizio Sarri.

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

The same can be said for Madrid, as they go into the upcoming campaign with a new boss in Julen Lopetegui and without Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Juventus. As such, they'll no doubt be keen to improve other areas of their squad in the current window, including their goalkeeper.

Given Madrid have won the last three Champions League titles in a row, it's understandable Courtois would be keen to make the switch after four seasons as a starter Chelsea. A little more patience appears to be needed before this one gets done, though.