Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has confirmed that the club will attempt to make Thibaut Courtois’ loan stay at the Estadio Vicente Calderon permanent at the end of the season.
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Courtois, 21, joined Chelsea from Genk in 2011, but has yet to make an appearance for the Blues, having since spent three consecutive loans spells at Atletico.
The Belgium international, who has gone on to become one of the world’s best young goalkeepers in that time, is due to return to Chelsea in the summer, where he is contracted for another two years.
However, Cerezo has told TV Espana, in comments picked up by AS, that ideally his club would buy the 30 million euro-rated player outright this summer, and if that was not possible he would attempt to negotiate a fourth season-long loan with the Blues.
“Courtois is an Atletico player until the end of the season,” Cerezo said. “After that we will try and buy him, if Chelsea want that. If not we will look for a formula so that he stays at Atletico next year.”
Despite being owned by Chelsea, Courtois says he would like to face his parent club with Atletico in this season's Champions League quarterfinals.
The keeper had a relatively quiet night on Tuesday as Atletico steamrolled AC Milan 4-1 in the Spanish capital to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate last-16 win. The victory means the La Liga club have progressed to what will be their first appearance in the last eight of the competition since 1997.
And Courtois, who did make a string of vital saves in the first leg at the San Siro, told Canal Plus that he believes there is nothing in his loan agreement which would stop him playing against Jose Mourinho's side.
“I believe I can,” he said. “I do not believe there is a clause. I played in the European Super Cup. It would be a very nice game.”
Courtois also said he had been annoyed by press speculation, which had surfaced earlier in the week, claiming he had already agreed to join Real Madrid when his Chelsea contract ends in 2016.
“I have already said it in three or four languages. I have a contract until June 31 with Atletico and then two more years with Chelsea," he said. "I want to continue [here], they [Atletico] want to stick with me, I do not think they [Chelsea] want to sell me. This was put into the media to destabilise. These things happen when you have an important game. We know it is not correct. We concentrate on our own things, today was an example."