Thibaut Courtois has reflected that his destination for next season depends on where he can be guaranteed first-team football.
The Chelsea-owned goalkeeper has spent the last two seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, with the capital club seen as keen to tie him down for a third year, but a final decision dependent on who the Londoners sign as their new manager.
For Courtois, the situation also depends on what that new man, thought likely to be outgoing Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho, says.
“If the new manager says, ‘I want Courtois as my first choice’, that is how it will be,” Courtois has told The Independent today.
“But Petr Cech is a world-class goalkeeper who plays every game at such a high level.
“Chelsea have always been very fair with me and they are also smart people and they know that I need to play.
“I don’t know where that will be but I do know I have proved myself in the two years I have been here [in Madrid].”
The Belgian is in contention to win the Zamora trophy in La Liga for the lowest goals-conceded-per-game ratio.
“They will put ‘Courtois’ on the trophy but really I would prefer that they put Atletico Madrid because there have been games when we have defended so well I have hardly touched the ball.”
