Chelsea FC Value Thibaut Courtois At £73 Million

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With rumours rumbling that the world’s most free-spending team are looking to make a move for Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea FC have tried to warn off Real Madrid by setting the goalkeeper’s asking price at £73 million, reports The Telegraph.

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The Belgian ‘keeper arrived back at Stamford Bridge last summer, having spent the previous three seasons on loan at Atlético Madrid. It soon became evident that he would be Jose Mourinho’s number one, and he ended up starting 32 league games unseating the formerly untouchable Petr Cech.

Having established himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in the world at Atlético, Courtois carried on his course keeping a league-topping 13 clean sheets. However, with veteran Iker Casillas all but on his way out of Real, new coach (and former Blues boss) Rafa Benitez and Florentino Perez have turned their attention to the 23 year old. Though reports have also strongly linked Real with Manchester United’s David De Gea, it is thought that the Belgian is the preferred of the two.

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Chelsea’s valuation, however, have forced the Spanish giants into a re-think and they have now supposedly almost agreed a deal to bring De Gea to the capital.

This is smart from the Chelsea brass as Courtois represents a world-class pair of hands who could probably play for the Blues for the next ten years. Not having to worry about the man in between the sticks is always a great weight off any manager’s shoulders and furthermore, with the price of ‘keepers only on the rise these days it frees up some extra funds for the rest of the squad.

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This cannot be better exemplified by anyone but the man Courtois essentially replaced. Cech has been sensational over his 11 years at Stamford Bridge and could well be regarded as the unsung hero of many of Chelsea’s successes. For a defender, knowing that you have a ‘keeper of such a calibre that he could make up for your error removes a good deal of pressure.

As for Chelsea’s former number one, Cech’s future is set to be decided in the coming days. Rumours are linking him with moves to rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, but there are numerous fans that would like to see him be convinced to stay on. Whatever he chooses, he’s done enough for Chelsea to deserve the right go wherever the hell he wants.

Courtois, meanwhile, doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.

Next: Chelsea FC's Tomas Kalas To Join Middlesbrough On Loan

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