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Just in case there was any doubt about the fact that Thibaut Courtois was not going back to Atlético Madrid for another season on loan, the young goalkeeper has made a public farewell to the club on his Facebook page.
Having been at the club for three years and being integral to their transition from also-rans to La Liga winners and Champions League runners up (there was also a Copa del Rey in there), it's natural that Courtois has a close bond with the team that knocked Chelsea out of Europe last season, and I'm sure he's more than a little sad to be leaving the club.
But it's time for a new adventure, and it looks as though that will be at Chelsea*. Courtois said during the World Cup that his future would be decided after the tournament, so one suspects that a) this goodbye came after a conversation with Jose Mourinho and b) with Petr Cech still recovering from a dislocated shoulder we'll see a great deal of him in pre-season. Whether that's enough to secure a permanent place in goal, however, remains an open question.
*A loan somewhere else isn't out of the question, but it's hard to see where Chelsea would send him to that is both a step up from Atlético Madrid and not an obvious direct competitor for trophies.