Thibaut Courtois a no show at Chelsea training as he tries to force Real Madrid move

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 10: Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Belgium looks on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between France and Belgium at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 10, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 10: Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Belgium looks on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between France and Belgium at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 10, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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Belgian international, Thibaut Courtois, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid nearly all summer. There hadn’t been almost any details of the goalkeeper leaving London for Madrid, but today, everything seems to have changed.

After falling to Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea is reeling. Not only did they lose the first competitive match of the season decisively, they could be losing their star net-minder in the coming days.

It’s the early afternoon here in the United States, but a lot has transpired behind closed doors in the last 24 hours for The London Blues. This morning, Courtois reportedly told new boss Maurizio Sarri that he wishes to leave the club before the transfer window closes, according to ESPNFC.

The meeting took place just hours before Thibaut was to report to his first day of training after taking the last month to recover from a busy summer. Sources close to the club have said that Sarri has said he will not block Courtois from leaving if he truly wants to.

Well, we know where he stands now. During this afternoon’s recovery training session, Courtois was noticeably absent, leading many media outlets to say he has gone ‘AWOL’ as he tries to force a move to Real Madrid.

This news comes as a bit of a shock to me as it seemed all the rumors had begun to die down. With just a few weeks remaining in the window, the 26-year-old goalkeeper has gone to extreme measures to try and force his current club to make a move.

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Again, this is rather surprising considering what he said to reports just two days ago:

"“I don’t think I should comment too much about that in this moment because we are at a delicate time in the process. But I am quite calm and hope for a good outcome.”"

While these seemingly harmless comments could mean several different things, it is very hard to tell what will happen now. Thibaut is burning bridges at the club he is currently under contract with as he longs for a return to Madrid.

The Belgian greatly enjoyed his loan stint with Atletico Madrid a few years back and has his family still living in the Spanish capital now. Courtois has shown his hand and it is now up to President Florentino Perez to swoop in to finalize the deal.

I don’t see a way Thibaut Courtois returns to London for this season if it is true that he is skipping out on training to try and make a transfer happen. Chelsea is going to be left with no choice but to move him at this point.

Next. Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui shoots down Luka Modric transfer rumors. dark

How can you keep a player who clearly doesn’t want to be there?

The Real Madrid president and board are now in a position where they can waltz into a meeting with the representatives in London, show them the money, and walk out with one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.

This, if all the rumors and reports are indeed true, is an amazing deal for Real Madrid. We will keep a close eye on any developments.

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