Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois says he doesn’t want to be competing for a first team place with Petr Cech next season.
The Belgian shot-stopper is due to return to parent club Chelsea after this Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid, in order to discuss his next move.
However, speaking to the BBC, the 22-year-old said neither he nor Cech would be happy to be second choice at Stamford Bridge.
“I have great respect for Peter Cech,” Courtois said. “He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, so I don’t think having us at the same club would be the best idea.
“Both of want to play all the time. Neither one of us would be happy just playing in the League Cup or the FA Cup.
“Next week we’ll see if we can sit down with Chelsea and sort anything out for next year. They will make it clear what they want and so will I. Then we’ll see.”
Courtois also commented on the strange feeling of defeating his parent club in the Champions League semi-finals and looked ahead to Saturday’s meeting with Los Blancos.
“Normally when you win a semi-final you celebrate it with a lot of intensity, but I didn’t because Chelsea bought me and gave me the chance to play for Atletico for three years.
“I think I showed respect to the Chelsea fans and players, and they did to me. It was a great feeling. I hope I can repay them in the future.
“There are some teams who play more defensively against us and that makes it more difficult for us. Against Real Madrid, they will have to attack more. We will have to defend well and play more on the counter.”
