Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid: Chelsea goalkeeper refuses to rule out exit

'I do not say yes. I do not say no'

Tom Sheen
Saturday 26 March 2016 07:45 EDT
Comments
(2015 Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has refused to assure the club's fans over his future at the club amid speculation he is a target for Real Madrid.

The Belgium No 1, who won the Premier League title with the club in an excellent debut season at Chelsea, has been linked with a move to the Spanish giants for a while and was again asked while on international duty.

But rather than rule out a move away from the Blues, the 23-year-old gave a rather more cryptic answer.

"I do not say yes, I do not say no. I do not know: I still have three years on my contract. We must see what Chelsea want," he told Belgian broadcaster RTBF

"It is true that it (this season) has changed me. Until now I had always won a trophy every season. We hope that next season will be better."

Courtois was one of the best goalkeepers in England last season, with Chelsea selling club legend Petr Cech to rivals Arsenal in the summer, but he has not performed at the same level this term, with a string of poor performances recently.

"Especially mentally, you have to be strong," he added. "But with my character, and having grown up in a family of top athletes [his parents and sister played professional volleyball], I do not have too many problems with it. I never doubt."

Courtois also added that training with Belgium is better than training with Chelsea.

"The level of training is higher among Devils," he said. "There are only world-class players (here), while at Chelsea, there are some players a little less rated and we often train with youngsters as well."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in