Courtois AWOL at Chelsea
THIBAUT COURTOIS has stepped up his bid to force through his Chelsea exit by going AWOL.
The Blues keeper failed to return to the club yesterday after his summer break.
Courtois, 26, was due back at Chelsea’s Cobham base following his World Cup exploits with Belgium, along with the London club’s other stars involved until the final weekend in Russia.
New boss Maurizio Sarri was also hoping to meet Courtois for the first time and hold face-to-face talks over his future.
Instead, a picture of Courtois visiting a supermarket in Tenerife emerged yesterday when he should have been attending initial tests ahead of his return to full
training. It followed his no-show at Sunday’s Community Shield defeat by Manchester City at Wembley.
With no explanation for his absence, he is on a collision course with Chelsea chiefs and underlines his determination to seal a move to Real Madrid.
The episode leaves Chelsea facing a repeat of the Diego Costa saga last summer when the striker refused to return to the club before being eventually sold back to Atletico Madrid. Courtois wants to return to Madrid, the city where his two children live and he previously played with Atletico. His transfer hopes may hinge on Chelsea signing a top-class replacement before Thursday’s deadline.
And that man may be Stoke’s £30million-rated England keeper Jack Butland (left).