Chelsea eye Liverpool target as replacement for Bernabeu bound £120,000-a-week star

Chelsea are looking to sign AS Roma goalkeeper Alisson to replace Thibaut Courtois, according to reports. Liverpool have been highly linked with Alisson and recent reports suggest they could make a move for him at the end of the season.

For now, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has decided to stick with Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet and could sign the Roma goalkeeper in summer.

However, Chelsea could steal a march ahead of the Reds for the Brazilian shot-stopper. The Blues’ No.1 Courtois looks likely to head to Real Madrid after this campaign as the European champions are eyeing a massive squad overhaul.

Should the £120,000-a-week Courtois leave Chelsea in the summer, the Premier League champions are ready to go after Alisson, as the board have earmarked the Brazilian as Courtois’s preferred replacement.

Spanish news outlet El Gol Digital suggests that Courtois has fallen out with manager Antonio Conte after Chelsea’s recent Premier League defeat at Manchester United.

The Belgian goalie questioned in an interview, Conte’s tactics of substituting playmaker Eden Hazard in the second half at Old Trafford. And following Hazard’s substitution, the Blues conceded the second goal and eventually tasted defeat at the weekend.

“After our goal, we conceded a counter-attacking goal just like last Tuesday but in the second half we had less of the ball, but even then we should never have lost this match,” Courtois told Belgian TV channel Play Sports. (h/t Express)

“If you do not do the small things well in top matches, you lose, which is what happened today. I have no explanation for the substitution.

“I did not expect it, but it’s the manager’s choice. He’ll explain it. I can’t look into his head. Of course, you want players like Eden 90 minutes on the pitch. He can always bring something extra.”

Courtois’s words clearly suggest he was angry with our gaffer’s decision to take out his Belgian teammate Hazard, who had provided the assist for Willian’s opener in the first half against United.

I feel it is a good time for Chelsea to start making plans for the summer as Courtois looks frustrated with our manager and sounds strong to leave Stamford Bridge for Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.

Should that happen, there won’t be a better goalkeeper than Alisson to replace the Belgian at the west London club.