Chelsea hope their £73million world-record valuation of Thibaut Courtois will scare off Real Madrid.
Real are considering making another move for the keeper this summer should they fail to prise David de Gea out of Manchester United.
Courtois is understood to be keen to return to La Liga in the future after a three-year spell on loan from Chelsea at Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea responded to an enquiry by Real for Courtois last summer by putting a £73m fee on his head, more than double the Gianluigi Buffon fee for his switch to Juventus from Parma in 2001.
Despite struggling for his best form, Chelsea do not think his value has dropped and he remains one of the best young keepers in the world.
He has more than three years of his contract remaining and, having let Petr Cech join Arsenal last summer, Chelsea would only let Courtois go for a massive fee.
Real’s move for De Gea collapsed on transfer deadline day when a faulty fax machine prevented the paperwork being done in time. He signed a new four-year contract but it is thought to include a Real release clause.
Real might be encouraged by Courtois’ revelation yesterday that he enjoys playing behind Belgium’s defence rather than Chelsea’s.
He said: “We’re still conceding too many goals and that’s not entirely the defence’s fault, even though I prefer playing with Belgium’s back four.”
Meanwhile, back-up keeper Asmir Begovic has hinted he is prepared to stay next term. He had made 19 appearances by November due to Courtois suffering a knee injury, but has played just once since then.
He said: “(Moving to Chelsea) wasn’t as simple as being No1 or No2 — I felt I needed a new challenge.
“Certain things were put in place, conversations sounded good to me and I wanted to be part of a great club and help the team win trophies.
“It hasn’t gone as planned, but hopefully that will change and the future will look a bit brighter.”
