Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reportedly demanded that the club pay him £300,000-a-week, or he’ll leave and find another club willing to pay him what he’s worth.
That’s according to The Sun, as despite reporting that he has returned to training and could start against Hull City this weekend, they claim that his situation at Stamford Bridge hasn’t been entirely resolved.
It’s noted that the Spanish international agreed on a truce with the view that the club would re-start negotiations over a new contract, having put an end to them when he was offered a £30m-a-year deal from Tianjin Quanjin last week.
It appears as though that offer from China has turned his head, as the Sun add that he wants £300k-a-week, which is double what he currently earns, but Chelsea are only prepared to offer him £225,000-a-week over five years with additional bonuses helping to bridge the gap.
That’s still a significant pay rise for the 28-year-old, but whether or not it would be enough to secure his future and dismiss speculation of an exit remains to be seen.
Costa has been in fine form so far this season prior to this controversy over an exit, as he has scored 14 Premier League goals and established himself as a key figure under Antonio Conte as Chelsea continue to lead the Premier League title race.
Although the Blues showed their ability to win without him at Leicester City last weekend, they will know the importance of having him leading the line between now and the end of the season, and so will be desperate to clear up any off-the-pitch concerns as quickly as possible.
However, it sounds as though they won’t just bow to his demands either, and time will tell how the situation gets resolved.
The lucrative offer from China is bound to have made the former Atletico Madrid star consider his future, and if Chelsea aren’t willing, or capable, to try and match his demands, then perhaps a parting of ways in the summer is to be expected.