Courtois is one step closer to signing for Real Madrid

"Operation: Goalkeeper" at Real Madrid could be about to reach its end. In Florentino Perez's agenda a lot of names have been added to the list over the last three years. At the top of the list was David De Gea and just behind him, Thibaut Courtois. After those two came the most popular choices on the market such as Roma's Alisson, who is now Brazil's number one keeper.

"Madrid? I'll do something to see my children more often," confessed the Belgian goalkeeper. This is a man who has his heart divided by his job and his family. Courtois has an agreement in place to sign for Real Madrid and all that's left is to convince Chelsea to accept their offer for him. The Blues are resisting that at the moment, this despite the player's contract expiring next summer, as they don't want to let him go but they'll be obligated to bid him farewell for 'free' in 12 months time.

ball is in Chelsea's court

Real Madrid's first offer was €35m but Chelsea rejected that. The next offer will be €38m plus €9m in add-ons: €4m for winning the Champions League, €2m for LaLiga, €1m for the Copa del Rey and €2m if he wins the 'Zamora' award, according to 'OK Diario'. The ball is in the English club's court, as they need money in order to buy an able replacement.

A move for De Gea was discarded following his performances at the World Cup. Plus, Madrid don't want to keep wasting their time on a transfer as Manchester United refuse to make it easy for them. His deal also ends next summer but he has an offer on the table to renew his contract at United. Only a gesture from the keeper about a move to Madrid would cause them to change their mind but the fans wouldn't be excited about him following his recent dip in form.

Alisson is also a no-go because of Roma's prohibitive asking price. They want €75m and Madrid aren't willing to pay that. The Brazilian doesn't want to go to Chelsea because he only has eyes for Madrid.