Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has denied reports that he previously had an agreement to join Barcelona: “I don’t know why this has been said but that is not true.”
As outlined by Marca, the Belgian shot-stopper reacted with bemusement to claims from former Blaugrana general manager Javier Bordas that the Catalan giants had an agreement in place with him in 2014 but the club opted instead to sign Marc-Andre Ter Stegen that summer.
That was at the time when Courtois had completed two seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid – whom he helped to the 2014 La Liga title – from Chelsea, to whom he then returned that summer to become a regular first-team star.
Courtois is quoted by Marca as telling a press conference on Tuesday: “It is not true that I had an agreement. I was with Chelsea, I played for Atletico on loan, I knew I would return to Chelsea and wanted to play there. I don’t know why this has been said but that is not true.
“I don’t think I have to comment on things that people say in newspapers or like that. I think people know that my dream has always been to play for Real Madrid and that I am happy there.”
The former Chelsea goalkeeper has increasingly become an important player for Los Blancos in recent times with his fine form providing the platform for the club’s successes and he won the Zamora award last season for the best goals-to-games ratio for a goalkeeper in La Liga.
