Chelsea supposedly name their price for Thibaut Courtois...or did they?

Stupid transfer stories make me laugh sometimes, and today we had some typical stupidity compliments of The Daily Star. The title "Chelsea Slap £17m Price Tag on Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois" would certainly indicate that Chelsea are talking about the young Belgian with somebody, and is sure to grab the attention of many on a slow news day. The Star led the article off with the following:

Chelsea have slapped a stunning £17million price tag on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – who has yet to play for the club.

Ok...got it. The Blues are talking to someone, and have quoted the price for Courtois at £17m. Who exactly did we quote that price to? Well let's skip the fluff in the middle (and it's worth skipping) and jump right to the end for the details:

Atletico have enquired about taking Courtois as a makeweight in any deal for Radamel Falcao, who remains a Chelsea target. But the Blues do not want Courtois included in the negotiations and have so far refused to discuss the Belgian’s long-term future.

Interesting. Your sources tell you that Chelsea are refusing to discuss the transfer of Thibaut Courtois in a potential deal for Radamel Falcao, yet you've decided to write a headline indicating that they've quoted the club a price. That seems like an odd headline to write when someone tells you that there are no discussions being had, doesn't it?

The Thibaut Courtois transfer story is just that...a story. The player is under contract until 2016, has never indicated he's unhappy at Chelsea, and is only going to get better. Chelsea don't particularly need money at the moment, and keeping one of their most valuable assets and allowing him to improve even further would seem like a no-brainer.

Garbage publications like the Star will continue to make up headlines with absolutely no basis in fact, and many fans will read the headlines and freak out. Those papers are probably the only place you'll be able to find stories about Courtois being for sale though, as frankly, moving him would be a silly thing for Chelsea to do.

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