Chelsea have came up with a unique solution to the Mo Bangura question by slapping a £3m fee on Atletico Madrid if they want to use Thibaut Courtois against his parent club.
Atletico could be drawn against Chelsea in the semi-final of the Champions League- or even meet in the final- with a fee believed to be around £3m charged if the keeper lines up against Chelsea.
Last summer Celtic found themselves in a similar situation when they were drawn against Elfsborg in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
It’s common practice domestically that loan signings don’t play against their parent club with Jackson Irvine missing out on three matches between Celtic and Kilmarnock this season.
The possibility of playing against the striker fondly known as The Banger seemed unlikely last January when Celtic agreed a deal to send the striker out on loan but as the loan deal progressed Bangura found himself at the centre of attention. Neil Lennon didn’t want him to play against the hoops with Elfsborg adamant that he should play.
Over the two matches Bangura failed to score as Celtic edged through on a 1-0 aggregate with his appearances sealing his fate as a Celtic player. After returning to Celtic his contract was terminated before moving on to a club in Turkey.
Speaking about Courtois last night, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo admitted: “It’s a number we can’t afford to pay, the problem is whether he can play or not if we come up against Chelsea. It could be that he cannot, the contract is the contract.”
Chelsea have had around 30 loan deals this season and have every possibility covered with a fee inserted on the deal for Courtois as he returned to Atletico for the third season running.
Courtois signed for Chelsea in 2011 from Genk but has yet to play a single match for the club but has now made well over 100 appearances on loan to Atletico.
Tonight at Cappielow Celtic’s u-20 side face Hibs with both sides level at the top of the table although Celtic have two games in hand, kick off is at 7pm, admission free.