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Thibaut Courtois is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe for quite a while now. He had a very impressive World Cup campaign with Belgium where he won the Golden Glove Award. He has been excellent for Chelsea since he replaced Petr Cech and so it is only natural Chelsea is not keen to let the Belgian leave.
Having said that, Courtois has just one-year left on his Chelsea contract. Not selling him now would mean that he will let go on a free transfer which would be disastrous for Chelsea.
Courtois' agent Christophe Henrotay has mentioned that Courtois wants a move to the Real Madrid to be close to his two children. Henrotay told The Sun: "I have been reading everywhere that Chelsea are saying it is up to Thibaut, but he has made it clear to the club that the best option for him is to move to Madrid." "For him, this is a big decision because he wants to be near his family, and there is an offer in place for Chelsea to accept."
Even Courtois made statements on similar lines in a recent interview with VTM Stadion. "It is not always easy, but I'd also seen this coming.. I knew that she [his former girlfriend] would return to Madrid, so that has its influence too. I love my children to death. When you miss them, you are sometimes wondering: shouldn't I play in Spain in the next few years? That's why I want to take my time to make a decision on that contract extension."
With his departure imminent here are 3 goalkeepers that Chelsea can target as potential replacements for the Belgium star.
#1 Jan Oblak
According to reports from the Mirror Oblak has a release clause of €100m (£89.3m) and Mundo Deportivo claim the Blues are prepared to trigger it before Thursday's deadline. The Atletico Madrid keeper would be an ideal but expensive replacement for Courtois. A swap deal could be on the cards for Chelsea.
Oblak would be the best replacement Chelsea can get for Courtois as Oblak is young, established and a long-term solution for Chelsea.
#2 Jack Butland
Butland would be available between the range of €20 - 25 million. While that is a lot cheaper than Oblak, Butland would also be a downgrade for Chelsea when compared to the likes of Courtois. Butland has been a stand out performer for Stoke City and will only improve at Chelsea.
According to reports from multiple sources like Bleacher Report, Jack Butland is expected to be one of Chelsea's target to replace Thibaut Courtois. Alan Myers of Sky Sports has also reported that the Blues will be looking to buy Butland and would not be looking to get into the race to sign Pickford.
#3 Rico
Rico, Sevilla's goalkeeper, is also said to be on the radar for Chelsea. He had a successful season for Sevilla last year and will only be looking to improve this upcoming season. He has won the Europa League twice and will be looking to make it three in a row if he joins Chelsea.
According to a report from the Telegraph, Rico features on a shortlist of goalkeepers Chelsea is considering to buy before the transfer season ends.
While Chelsea would prefer to buy Oblak or Butland, if they find the price for those two keepers too high then they will settle for Rico.
