Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has assured Thibaut Courtois they will make an offer to Chelsea for him in 2018.
Perez wants to shift out Keylor Navas and bring in a new big name goalkeeper next year.
The priority for both Perez and coach Zinedine Zidane has been Manchester United No1 David de Gea. But with manager Jose Mourinho offering little encouragement, Real are now ready to focus on Belgium international Courtois.
Diario Gol says Perez has spoken to Courtois directly to assure him that an offer will be made, which has led to suggestions this is why new contract talks with Chelsea were abruptly shut down this month.
Courtois' ex-girlfriend and his two children currently live in Madrid and he has had representatives scout properties for him in the La Finca region.
With De Gea now likely to stick with United, Perez is now pouring everything into bringing former Atletico Madrid keeper Courtois back to the city in 2018.