Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid: Chelsea goalkeeper refuses to rule out exit

'I do not say yes. I do not say no'

(2015 Getty Images)

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has refused to assure the club's fans over his future at the club amid speculation he is a target for Real Madrid.

The Belgium No 1, who won the Premier League title with the club in an excellent debut season at Chelsea, has been linked with a move to the Spanish giants for a while and was again asked while on international duty.

But rather than rule out a move away from the Blues, the 23-year-old gave a rather more cryptic answer.

"I do not say yes, I do not say no. I do not know: I still have three years on my contract. We must see what Chelsea want," he told Belgian broadcaster RTBF

"It is true that it (this season) has changed me. Until now I had always won a trophy every season. We hope that next season will be better."

Courtois was one of the best goalkeepers in England last season, with Chelsea selling club legend Petr Cech to rivals Arsenal in the summer, but he has not performed at the same level this term, with a string of poor performances recently.

"Especially mentally, you have to be strong," he added. "But with my character, and having grown up in a family of top athletes [his parents and sister played professional volleyball], I do not have too many problems with it. I never doubt."

Courtois also added that training with Belgium is better than training with Chelsea.

"The level of training is higher among Devils," he said. "There are only world-class players (here), while at Chelsea, there are some players a little less rated and we often train with youngsters as well."