Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reportedly reached a pre-agreement worth £30m-a-year with a Chinese Super League outfit ahead of a summer move.
It’s been a tumultuous period for the Spaniard, as last month he was left out of the win over Leicester City due to a reported injury along with claims that a big-money offer from China had arrived and that he was involved in a bust-up in training with a Chelsea coach.
Costa has since returned to the starting line-up and continues to help his side march on in pursuit of another Premier League title.
However, according to Spanish journalist Manu Carreno, as reported by The Sun, the 29-year-old’s move to China is “total” and “absolute”.
The former Atletico Madrid forward arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2014, and has since gone on to help the club win a Premier League title and has put them in pole position to win another this year.
According to The Sun though, a move to China was blocked by the club in January, with Tianjin Quanjian offering over £70m for his services before Antonio Conte dismissed talk of an exit given the importance of Costa in his team.
In contrast, he will be allowed to leave this summer it seems, as the report adds he will earn a staggering £570,000-a-week if he opts to accept the deal.
From the outside looking in, it appears as though Chelsea and Costa came to an agreement last month that they would remain together until the end of the season and try to win another major trophy.
At the end of the campaign, it’s likely that they will reevaluate his position, and if a move to China appeals to him, then perhaps this time round Conte and Chelsea won’t stand in his way and will look to sign a replacement with more time to make the right decision.