Soccer

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois turns thoughts to European glory with Chelsea

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has immediately turned his attentions to conquering Europe next season after clinching the Premier League title at Watford on Friday night Picture: PA
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has immediately turned his attentions to conquering Europe next season after clinching the Premier League title at Watford on Friday night Picture: PA Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has immediately turned his attentions to conquering Europe next season after clinching the Premier League title at Watford on Friday night Picture: PA

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wants to win the Champions League with Chelsea.

The Belgium goalkeeper has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, who are also reportedly coveting Eden Hazard for £100million.

Striker Diego Costa has also been linked with a summer departure from Stamford Bridge, with rumours of a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League refusing to go away.

But head coach Antonio Conte wants to keep his Premier League winners together and augment his double-seeking squad for next season's European challenge.

Conte's comments suggest he will reject reported overtures from Inter Milan.

"Obviously next year there is a new goal with the Champions League coming for us," said the Belgian stopper.

"It's been a few years since Chelsea have won it and I missed out on one in the last minute, so a lot of players are hungry to win that as well."

Chelsea won the 2012 Champions League, with only Gary Cahill and David Luiz of the current squad involved. John Terry was suspended for the final and leaves the club this summer.

Courtois and Costa were in the Atletico Madrid team which reached the 2014 final and lost to Real. They had beaten Chelsea – with Courtois playing against his parent club in his third year on loan at Atletico – in the semi-finals.

Chelsea were absent from the Champions League this season for the first time since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

Meanwhile, Conte faces another challenge in the final two home games of the Premier League season – balancing sentiment with planning for the FA Cup final.

Chelsea, who clinched the title with Friday's 1-0 win at West Brom, play Watford tonight and relegated Sunderland on Sunday, before the May 27 final with Arsenal.

Terry will hope to lift a 16th and final major trophy with Chelsea at Wembley and will have bid farewell to Stamford Bridge by then.

The club captain has said potential goodbyes before, but there will be no fourth successive one-year contract extension this summer.

The 36-year-old has 715 appearances and could make three more, if he features in the remaining three games at the end of his 22 years of service.

Head coach Conte sees Terry as understudy to David Luiz in the centre of his three-man defence. And Luiz knows Chelsea must maintain momentum.

"If I say I'm not thinking about winning the double, I am a liar," said Luiz .

"Of course we think about this, but we need to think day by day, rest well, keep ourselves very good in these next two games to have a top performance against Arsenal.

"It will be a difficult game against a fantastic team, so we need to be at a high level."