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Chelsea transfer news: Courtois sweating on Real Madrid after Kepa deal agreed
CHELSEA goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is waiting for a call from Real Madrid as the Blues agree a deal to sign his replacement.
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Courtois wants to join Real but knows a deal can only go through if Chelsea replace him first.
And the Belgium international has been left in limbo after it emerged Chelsea have a deal in place to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao.
That is according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, who claim Courtois is now waiting on Real president Florentino Perez to call him.
The report says Courtois is in Tenerife and is refusing to return to Chelsea training.
And he will remain on holiday waiting to be summoned by the European champions.
Chelsea should sign Kepa before the Premier League transfer deadline on Thursday (5pm).
But Courtois’ move to Madrid may take longer to finalise.
That’s because the Spanish transfer window runs until August 31.
It means Chelsea may look to negotiate a new price for Courtois, even though both clubs seem settled on a fee of around £35m.
The Belgium international, who impressed at the World Cup this summer, wants to move to Madrid to be closer to his two children.
He failed to be present for Chelsea’s Community Shield match against Manchester City at Wembley, and did not come to training on Monday.
He did not show up at Cobham today either.
Ironically, Real could have signed Kepa from Bilbao back in January when is release clause was just £17.5million.
But they stayed away from a deal and Kepa signed a new contract to quadruple his release clause.
Mundo Deportivo claim Chelsea’s move for Kepa means Atletico Madrid will keep Jan Oblak this summer.