Chelsea striker Diego Costa is reportedly edging ever closer to securing an escape from the club, with a four-month loan stint lined up in Saudi Arabia.
As updated by The Sun from the initial report by The Daily Mail, the 28-year-old remains on course to seal a £53m return to Atletico Madrid, as he is said to have arrived in the Spanish capital on Tuesday night and will not be going back to London in a bid to force through a move, as per AS.
However, it’s added that he’s likely to be shipped out on loan to Saudi Arabia, joining Al Hilal on a temporary basis as he won’t be allowed to play for Atleti until January.
That in turn allows the Spanish international to enjoy a good life in the Middle East for the next four months, before finally getting his dream move back to his former club where he will be reunited with Diego Simeone.
Costa has refused to return to Chelsea since the end of last season, as his relationship with coach Antonio Conte broke down over the summer after the Italian tactician informed him via text that he no longer formed part of his plans at Stamford Bridge moving forward, as noted in the reports above.
In turn, the former Atleti forward has spent the summer in Brazil and hasn’t even returned to Cobham to continue training, which raises question marks over how long it will take him to regain full fitness and be a real threat for the La Liga outfit after the turn of the year.
As noted by The Sun, he was signed for £32m by Chelsea four years ago, going on to score 58 goals in 109 appearances for the reigning Premier League champions.
Now, it looks as though he could have a short-term fix in joining Al Hilal, as he continues to wait until January when Atleti can officially register new players once their transfer embargo is lifted.