Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has failed to report for training as he looks to force a move to Real Madrid, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper reports that the Belgium international, who starred for his nation at this summer’s World Cup, has gone AWOL in an attempt to force Chelsea’s hand.
The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Spanish capital all summer, and has now failed to report for training on Monday having skipped the club’s 2-0 Community Shield loss to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Telegraph’s report states that Stoke’s Jack Butland and Sevilla’s Sergio Rico have been identified as the club’s most likely choices to replace the Belgian.
OPINION
This is unsettling behaviour in the extreme. Courtois is a fully paid employee of Chelsea Football Club and his failure to turn up to training today, having chosen not to watch his team mate’s Community Shield outing against City, is disgraceful. This suggests a serious lack of judgement, and should be a warning for Real Madrid if nothing else. This leaves the Blues in a desperate situation, as they currently have a player who clearly doesn’t want to be at the club and little time to adequately replace him. Chelsea may be able to finalise Courtois’s sale and bring in Butland or Rico before the transfer window shuts on Thursday, but it’ll be a close run thing. The Belgium international’s behaviour here is simply unprofessional, and Maurizio Sarri will be wondering what he got himself in for at Stamford Bridge. The club must now work to locate the goalkeeper and get in contact with him, as they have to try and salvage this situation in a way that doesn’t leave them horribly exposed going into the new season.