Jose Mourinho believes goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will start next season at Stamford Bridge and compete with Petr Cech for Chelsea’s No 1 spot.
Courtois has been loaned to Atletico Madrid since joining Chelsea from Genk in 2011 and has two years remaining on his contract.
The 21-year-old does not want to return to Chelsea to sit on the bench and has stalled over signing a new deal before discovering if he can win a first-team starting place under manager Mourinho.
Atletico and Madrid rivals Real are both interested in keeping Courtois in Spain, but Mourinho claims the Belgian will be a Chelsea player.
Asked if Courtois will be at Chelsea next season, Mourinho replied: “I believe so, I don’t think he will be loaned out. We don’t struggle to keep him because he has two more years on his contract. I don’t need to give any assurances to any player.
Written by Steve Milne @stevenmilnelive