Chelsea news: Antonio Conte open to swap Thibaut Courtois for Alvaro Morata

Chelsea may sell their keeper Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid, but only if they get Alvaro Morata in return

Thibaut Courtois may head back to Madrid, this time to Real and not Atletico, in the summer if Los Blancos are willing to give up Alvaro Morata in exchange, according to the latest reports.

Real Madrid have been looking to add in a high-profile keeper to guard their goal since 2015, but their attempt to bring in David de Gea collapsed in the last-minute.

Since then de Gea has signed a contract extension with Manchester United and is now in talks to sign another extension, which means there is a very little chance Madrid can persuade him to leave.

Los Blancos have turned their attention to another former Atletico Madrid keeper to replace Keylor Navas in goal.

Courtois has already admitted that he misses Spanish football earlier this season, sparking rumors between him and Real Madrid.

At 6’6 tall and just 24 years old, the Belgian has enough ability and experience to fit right in at the current European champions. The fact that he also knows the league and the city means there is very little time needed for him to settle in at the club.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte understands if Courtois wants to leave, there is very little he can do to stop him. Therefore, he has demanded to get Morata in exchange.

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The former Juventus manager knows the Spanish international very well. Although Morata has never played under Conte, the Italian was the one who signed him for Juventus in the summer of 2014, before resigning abruptly from the job.

Now, he is ready to sign Morata again as he sees him as the ideal striker for his squad, especially if Diego Costa ends up exiting the club in the summer. The Spaniard not only possesses a strong physicality but also the technical ability and speed to work well in Conte’s system.

Morata just left Juventus in the summer to rejoin Madrid, with the hopes of taking over the starting striker role. However, it has not worked out very well for the 24-year-old as he has just played 635 minutes this season, scoring five goals.

Zinedine Zidane may let him leave if it means he will get Courtois in return, who he believes will be an upgrade to the current keeper Navas.

If the deal does take place, Chelsea may be looking to bring in Joe Hart to be their starting keeper as the England international is clearly not in the plans of Manchester City and Torino do not have the financial means to buy him.

Meanwhile Arsenal are also tracking the situation of Morata, who is currently valued at £51.5 million.

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