Playing Thibaut Courtois against Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals would cost Atletico Madrid €6 million

With both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid reaching the Champions League semifinals, the big question is whether Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been on loan with Atletico for each of the last three seasons could play against his parent club should they face each other. The short answer is that he could, but he won't.

According to AS, there is a clause in the current loan deal between the two clubs that would require Atletico to pay Chelsea €3 million for every match they use the 21-year-old Belgian international and Lionel Messi nightmare against them in the Champions League. So if they are drawn together in the semifinals, it would cost €6 million total for the two legs — a cost Atletico president Enrique Cerezo confirmed the club cannot afford. Meanwhile, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich just spent €6 million on pajama pants while you've been reading this.

But what about just paying the three million to use him in one leg or if they meet in the final? Perhaps those are questions for if/when those situations present themselves, but it could be a gamble that delivers more Champions League prize money.

With the other options being Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, playing against Atletico without their first-choice goalkeeper might be the best possible scenario for Jose Mourinho's side.

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Brooks Peck

is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter! Follow @BrooksDT