Chelsea are preparing themselves for a summer overhaul of their squad and could be forced to let their Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois depart if they fail to secure Champions League football for next season. According to recent reports, the 25-year-old shot-stopper may be reluctant to sign a new contract if the Blues are unable to earn a place in the top 4 at the end of the season.
Courtois’ current contract with the West London club runs until the summer of 2019 so he could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer with just 12 months left to run on his current deal with the club. The Belgian keeper has featured in 39 matches for Chelsea this season, conceding 40 goals while keeping 16 clean sheets across all competitions.
The Blues suffered a bitter 3-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend which has seen their top 4 hopes being left in tatters. Antonio Conte’s side are still 8 points away from the final Champions League place, which is currently being occupied by Spurs. At 25, he still has his peak years ahead of him which is why some of Europe’s elite clubs could line up to secure his services in the summer if he decides to leave West London in search of more challenging adventures.
With Courtois looking likely to part ways with Chelsea in the off-season, let’s take a look at three potential destinations for him to consider.
Real Madrid
The Galacticos could be on the lookout for a new keeper in the summer and Courtois fits the bill perfectly. The Belgian international is exactly the sort of keeper that they need at the moment. Keylor Navas has been far too inconsistent wearing a Los Blancos shirt during the course of this campaign. Hence, the addition of Courtois could turn out to be a major coup for the reigning European champions if they can lure him to the Spanish capital.
Liverpool
The Reds have been plagued with a lot of goalkeeping issues all throughout their season so far. The duo of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius has both failed to perform consistently and has been guilty of leaking in cheap goals. This is why the acquisition of a top class keeper like Courtois could help them mount a title challenge next season. However, it won’t be easy for Liverpool to convince Chelsea to sell their prized asset to a rival club.
Bayern Munich
There are concerns regarding Manuel Neuer’s fitness after the German star has missed almost the entire season due to a serious injury. Sven Ulreich has impressed this season but only in patches in the absence of Neuer. The Bavarians can do with someone of the calibre of Courtois going into the new campaign as they look to maintain their dominance in both domestic and European football.
