Chelsea will attempt to re-open contract negotiations with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois before the end of the season amid fears he is willing to run his current deal down.

Courtois last week revealed that talks over a new contract had stalled and that he is happy to leave further negotiations until the summer, when he will only have 12 months remaining on his current deal.

That has sparked renewed interest from Real Madrid and alerted Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, who will be in the market for a new goalkeeper in the summer.

But Chelsea do not want to risk leaving talks until the end of the season and will move before then to try to make progress on a new deal for Courtois.

Already facing criticism for selling the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah, the Blues are well aware that they will come under even greater scrutiny if they are forced to sell Courtois or see him walk away on a free transfer.