Thibaut Courtois reportedly intends to stall committing his future to Chelsea until the end of his third season on loan at Atletico Madrid.
The 21-year-old was signed by the Londoners in 2011 from Genk before being immediately sent out on a temporary deal to the Vicente Calderon, where, now into a third consecutive season on loan, he has continued to see his stock rise.
The Daily Mail suggest that Courtois’ status has him reluctant to consider terms of an understood two-year contract extension offered by Chelsea.
It is seen that the Belgian international is intent on stalling talks to extend beyond his current deal’s expiry in 2016 until the summer when he will look for assurances from manager Jose Mourinho that he will be given a fair run at taking the No 1 shirt at Stamford Bridge.
Should a compromise in competition with Petr Cech not be reached, it is understood that Chelsea would look to pull in offers of around €40m for the youngster’s services next summer.
Courtois has been linked with interest from Barcelona as they scan the market for a replacement for the outgoing Victor Valdes.
