Chelsea to use goalkeeper as bait to sign La Liga strike sensation

Chelsea are ready to use Belgian starlet Thibaut Courtois as a bargaining chip in their bid to prise Radamel Falcao away from Atletico Madrid.

The Blues have long admired the Colombian, who scored on Sunday night during Atletico's 2-1 defeat at Rayo Vallecano to take his tally for the season to 23 goals.

The former Porto striker is also on the radar of several other clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester City, but Chelsea believe they will be able to trump their European rivals.

Courtois, the young goalkeeper, has been on loan at Atletico since the summer of 2011 and has impressed in the Spanish capital with a string of mature performances.

The Spanish side are keen to extend his stay at the club for another season and according to Spanish newspaper El Economista, Chelsea will offer Atletico £47m and Courtois' services on a permanent basis to land Falcao.