Craig
Bellamy has described joining Real Madrid as the "pinnacle of football"
ahead of Thibaut Courtois' move to the European champions.
Chelsea confirmed they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid for the
transfer of Courtois, who will sign a six-year contract at the Bernabeu
subject to agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.
Madrid confirmed the goalkeeper will undergo his medical on Thursday, with
the move calling time on his seven-year stay at Chelsea, who on Wednesday
confirmed the signing of Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga for a
world-record £71.6m.
Former Wales striker Bellamy admits he is excited by the prospect of seeing
Kepa at Chelsea, adding that the Courtois deal was inevitable due to
personal reasons, with the Belgian's two children living with his former
partner in Madrid.
"It was just a matter of time. Chelsea made the right noises as well, if
they were going to get a goalkeeper in, they weren't going to stand in
Courtois' way," Bellamy told Sky Sports News.
"They've paid a lot of money now for a goalkeeper [Kepa] they obviously rate
highly. The manager is starting to find his feet, it's still early days for
him at the football club.
"The Courtois deal was inevitable, you can't blame him and he had personal
reasons behind it as well. Chelsea have done the right thing because he
wanted to go, he made it clear.
"It's a great loss to the Premier League because he is an outstanding
goalkeeper but actually I'm quite excited to see who they've got now. It
could be a great bit of business for them in the long run.
"It's an expensive bit of business at this moment, with Courtois' deal
running out. Look, it's Real Madrid. This is the pinnacle of football.
"I know a lot of Chelsea fans won't want to hear it, but when they come
calling, it's very difficult for players to turn down."
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