Chelsea striker Diego Costa is reportedly set to be the subject of a £22m plus add-ons bid from Atletico Madrid to take him back to Spain this summer.
Despite playing an influential role in Chelsea’s Premier League title success last season, scoring 20 goals in 35 league games, Antonio Conte made the headlines last month after he informed Costa that he didn’t feature in his plans moving forward.
It’s claimed that Atletico are keen to take him back to Spain this summer, despite their transfer ban which will see Costa unable to play until January, with The Guardian noting that they hope to wrap up a deal before the Spanish international is expected back at Cobham for pre-season training.
The 28-year-old is set to report back with the club on Sunday before initial checks are made on Monday to kick start pre-season preparations, and based on this report, he’s likely to find himself in an awkward position with Conte next week as Atleti aren’t even close to Chelsea’s demands.
It’s suggested that although the Blues now know that they won’t get the £76m that had been touted amid interest from China, they still want £40m for him, which is significantly more than what Atleti are offering.
In turn, it could lead to an ongoing transfer saga between now and the closing of the summer transfer window, as Conte evidently wants Costa out of Chelsea, while he’ll hope to use the funds raised by his sale to reinvest in the squad.
Having been a slow summer to date for Chelsea, the Premier League champions will hope to conclude some deals this week in order to have their new players with them on their pre-season tour. However, it’s looking more and more unlikely with such little time left, while Costa could very well be part of the travelling party at this rate regardless of Atleti’s interest.