On New Year’s Eve, El Confidencial came out with a rather interesting article, claiming that both Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois had been offered to Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants were then said to have turned down the opportunity to sign the forward, but wanted the goalkeeper, only they weren’t prepared to pay for him and were happy to wait for his contract to run out in 2019.
However, and rather unfortunately for them, Thibaut Courtois’ future is tied to Eden Hazard’s, as the 25-year-old told Het Laatste Nieuws journalist Kristof Terreur a month or so ago, and a renewal is on its way.
And this is a fact he reiterated, albeit a big more lightheartedly, to Sport/Foot this week.
He said: “We agreed to reconvene with Chelsea in February because the club had more pressing matters to deal with in January. There’s no rush. Normally, there’s no issue. I’ll renew. I’m happy and I see a management who want to still win lots of titles.
“There are positive signals. Just their desire to renew Eden Hazard’s contract, it reassures me.”
Asked about whether or not their futures really were intertwined, he continued: “I said that as a joke, but I think we both mean it a bit. When you talk about Barca, everyone thinks Messi. Real Madrid, it’s Ronaldo. When you talk about Chelsea, for 90% of people, it’s Eden Hazard.”
This all comes amid the constant stories sending the goalkeeper back to Spain, with Real Madrid said to be very interested in making him their next big star.
There’s every chance that will happen, and Courtois has never hidden his desire to one day ply his trade in the Spanish capital once again.
With his two children there, including his daughter who FaceTimes him everyday and tells him she misses him, it must be very difficult.
It’ll quite possibly happen. Maybe not this summer, or the next, but a point will be reached when Real Madrid come knocking, and Courtois will feel like the time has come to say goodbye to London.
He said: “If they want me, they need to get in touch with Chelsea. We’ll see, but they’ve never done it. What I’m sure of, is that I’d like to return to Madrid one day. I loved that town, I spent three great years there.
“If Real Madrid are really interested, my personal situation could influence the decision, yes. Family doesn’t have a price, but I’ll repeat that, for now, I’m busy talking to Chelsea about renewing.”
He’ll stay, but for how long?
