Chelsea striker Diego Costa has dismissed the suggestion that it’s a foregone conclusion that he will leave for China this summer.
The Spaniard has been heavily linked with a move to Tianjin Quanjian at the end of the season, having previously been touted to make a switch to China in January.
That whole episode resulted in Antonio Conte dropping him from his squad, but thankfully from a Chelsea perspective it didn’t have a lasting or damaging effect on the team as they now close in on the Premier League title this week.
Despite scoring his 20th Premier League goal of the season on Monday night, Costa’s future has still been shrouded in doubt but it appears as though he’s playing his cards close to his chest and denied suggestions that a move to China is an all-but done deal.
“I am the owner of my future and it does not mean that I am going to China,” he told DirecTV Sports, as quoted by Sky Sports.
With two years remaining on his contract and his ongoing importance to the team, it would seem logical for Chelsea to try and persuade him to stay and continue to play a fundamental role in their success as Conte goes for a league and FA Cup double in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
In contrast, they will have to balance that out with the benefits of selling him to China now, as Costa would undoubtedly command a huge transfer fee which would go towards replacing him and strengthening the squad as a whole ahead of an important year next season when they hope to challenge on various fronts.
While it wasn’t an outright dismissal of a move to China, it certainly doesn’t sound as clear-cut as the media have portrayed it to be in recent weeks and Costa could yet have a future at Chelsea.