[Archive 2018-08-09] Real Madrid agrees with Chelsea FC to sign goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

Historical archive — originally published 2018-08-09. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Yesterday, English football club Chelsea FC announced reaching an agreement with Spanish-capital club Real Madrid to transfer Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to Madrid. Real Madrid via their official website said Courtois "has signed for the club for the next six seasons."

26-year-old Courtois has been Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper for the last four seasons. He joined The Blues in 2011 from Belgian club K.R.C. Genk. In the last four seasons at Chelsea, Courtois won Premier League titles in 2014–15 and 2016–17, an EFL Cup in 2014–15, and the FA Cup in the last season. In his 2016–17 season for Chelsea, the Belgian kept sixteen clean-sheets in league matches.

Just after joining Chelsea in 2011, Courtois was loaned to Real Madrid's cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid. During this previous spell in Spain, Courtois won one each of the Spanish LaLiga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup. Courtois won the Adidas Golden Glove in this year's FIFA World Cup in Russia, winning the third-place medal with Belgium.

According to report by ESPN, Real Madrid had to pay about £35 million for the transfer. At the same time, Real Madrid's midfielder Mateo Kovačić is loaned to Chelsea for the next season. In Real Madrid's official announcement, they said Courtois is to be presented at Santiago Bernabeu today at 1 pm after his medical examination.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Real Madrid agrees with Chelsea FC to sign goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.