Reds eye Courtois swoop

Courtois has had a poor season by his high standards and has made just 21 Premier League appearances this term due to injury and competition with Asmir Begovic.

Reports surfaced last weekend suggesting the Blues were willing to part company with the Belgium international and new manager Antonio Conte had reportedly sanctioned his sale.

The Times claimed the Italian boss will allow the 23-year-old to leave providing the club obtain a fair transfer fee in the region of £50million.

And according to Italian journalist Emanuele Giulianelli, Conte has already lined up a replacement in Inter Milan's Samir Handanovic, freeing up Courtois to join Liverpool.

"Let's start with a rumble, you now know Antonio Conte has recently given his permission to the sale of Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea," he told Tribal Football.

"And I can reveal he has decided who will take his place - Samir Handanovic, a Slovenian, born in 1982, from Inter Milan.

"The offer will be about £10million to take one of the most reliable goalkeepers in all of Europe.

"And where will the young Belgian No1 go? Liverpool could be the right answer…"

The claims fly in the face of Courtois' latest claims in which he states he will honour the remainder of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

“I have never had any contact with PSG. I have played a lot against PSG recently – twice last season, again this season in a friendly and twice more in the Champions League this year," he told French newspaper Le Parisien.

"They are a good club who win their league easily. Me, I like playing in England. Paris is a very good club but I am happy at Chelsea.

“I have a contract for three years, so I will say 100 per cent [be staying at Chelsea]. Rumours affect any club where things are going badly. People think the top players want to leave because they are not in the Champions League."

Source: Daily Express

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