Thibaut Courtois joins Real Madrid from Chelsea for £31.5million and signs six-year deal

The Belgium international, named best goalkeeper at the World Cup this summer, has signed a six-year deal after completing a medical on Thursday.

Courtois had a year remaining on his Chelsea deal and did not report for training with the Blues this week, before the transfer was agreed for a reported £31.5million.

A video on Real Madrid's official Twitter feed showed Courtois signing his contract alongside club president Florentino Perez.

Chelsea confirmed the departure of the 26-year-old with a statement on their website, signing off with praise for their former goalkeeper.

"He has played an important role in the club's success, and we wish him the best of luck for the future," it read.

Courtois passed a medical at Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital and was later unveiled as a Real player at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Mateo Kovacic moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan.

Having spent three seasons at Real's city rivals Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea, Courtois expressed a desire to return to the Spanish capital from London.

He lifted two Premier League titles during his time at Stamford Bridge, establishing himself as number one despite the presence of Petr Cech.

Chelsea reacted to Courtois' impending departure by breaking their transfer record - and the world record for a goalkeeper - to land Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for £72.1million.

With Courtois going AWOL on Monday, he clearly damaged his relationship with a number of Chelsea supporters.

The former Racing Genk stopper deleted an Instagram post on Wednesday night in which he thanked the club and fans ahead of his move away.

On Wednesday Chelsea announced Croatia international Kovacic would be part of the Courtois deal.

The 24-year-old former Dinamo Zagreb and Inter Milan midfielder said on Chelsea's official website: "I am really happy and excited to be here at Chelsea. It is an amazing feeling. I will try to do my best for this club.

"It is a new league for me, the beginning is always tough but I am sure the coach and my new team-mates will help me and I am looking forward to a great season."

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: "We are very happy to welcome Mateo to the Chelsea family. He is a perfect fit for us this season, his style is well suited to how Maurizio (Sarri, the head coach) wants to play and we are sure he will prove to be a valuable asset for the club."

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