Thibaut Courtois is attempting to force through a transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid by staying away from training in defiance of instructions from the club. The Belgium goalkeeper did not report for training as requested yesterday having also failed to turn up to watch Sunday’s Community Shield defeat by Manchester City at Wembley. He is not expected to return today.

Courtois’s behaviour has infuriated Chelsea, who have indicated that they will accept his request for a transfer after a £35 million offer from Real if they can secure a replacement before the transfer window shuts on Thursday. The 26-year-old was given three weeks off after Belgium’s run to the World Cup semi-finals but was asked to meet up with his team-mates at Wembley on