Chelsea to force Thibaut Courtois to STAY as Real Madrid make £31m offer - EXCLUSIVE

THIBAUT COURTOIS could be forced to stay at Chelsea after they rejected Real Madrid’s £31million offer for the goalkeeper.

Posted Friday, August 03, 2018 by Express.co.uk

Chelsea to force Thibaut Courtois to STAY as Real Madrid make £31m offer - EXCLUSIVE
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could be forced to stay at the club

Courtois has told friends he is desperate for the move to Real to go through but Chelsea feel the price they are being offered for one of the best goalkeepers in the world is derisively low, even though he has only one year remaining on his contract.

But crucially, Chelsea have been unable to line up a top-class replacement for Courtois and they refuse to sell unless they can do so.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has been in frequent contact with Real in a bid to get the Spanish club to raise their offer.

However, the key issue that remains is a replacement for Courtois.

New manager Maurizio Sarri’s first choice was Roma’s Alisson but Chelsea were beaten to the punch by Liverpool, who spent a world record £65million on the goalkeeper last month.

Chelsea have also looked at Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak as a potential replacement but he would cost about £90m.

Paris Saint-Germain star Kevin Trapp has also been considered, as well as AC Milan’s former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

Stoke’s Jack Butland was another contender for the Blues ahead of the transfer window shutting on August 9.

Chelsea boss Sarri is keen to splash the cash in the coming days, with the Blues signing just two players this summer.

Sarri brought Jorginho with him to west London from Napoli, while Chelsea also signed free agent Rob Green in one of the strangest deals of the window.

Chelsea to force Thibaut Courtois to STAY as Real Madrid make £31m offer - EXCLUSIVE
Chelsea star Courtois has made it clear that he wants to leave Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are also keen to keep hold of Eden Hazard, who, like Courtois, is a target for Real.

The Belgium international is yet to return from his post-World Cup holiday, with Sarri hoping to hold talks with the 27-year-old over his Stamford Bridge future.

Chelsea face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon in the Community Shield as Sarri looks to kick off his Blues spell with silverware.