Report: Thibaut Courtois Set for Real Madrid Medical After £35M Fee Agreed

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is reportedly on the verge of joining Real Madrid after the clubs agreed a fee of around £35 million.

Per Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws, the Belgium No. 1 will have his medical with Real on Thursday ahead of penning a six-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu:

Courtois, 26, has been linked with Real for most of the summer and recently refused to return to Chelsea's training in an attempt to force the west London club's hand, per Matt Law in The Telegraph.

In response, the Blues have met Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga's £71.6 million release clause. The Spaniard is set to undergo a medical with the Premier League side on Wednesday, per Dominic Fifield of The Guardian. 

The move for Kepa, 23, has opened the door for Courtois' departure to Real, who are set to snap up one of the world's best goalkeepers for a good price.

The former Atletico Madrid stopper is in the last year of his contract at Chelsea, so they could have lost him for free next summer, which caused the low transfer fee.

In Kepa, Chelsea are getting a worthy replacement for Courtois, and he has the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, per Spanish football writer David Cartlidge:

That does not mean, though, that it is not a blow for Chelsea to lose their No. 1 of the past four seasons. In addition, Courtois' low fee will likely be galling for the Blues hierarchy.