Chelsea striker Diego Costa has broken his silence on his exit as he looks ahead to re-joining former club Atletico Madrid this week.
The reigning Premier League champions announced on Thursday that a deal had been struck with Atleti over the transfer of the Spanish international, with Sky Sports noting that the fee is believed to be over £50m.
Costa will now be expected to undergo his medical and sign a contract on Friday, ending his stint at Chelsea during which he scored 59 goals in 120 games and won the league title twice.
Having failed to report for training since last season and in turn he hasn’t made a single appearance for the Blues this campaign, his falling-out with Antonio Conte was cited as the biggest reason for his hiatus given that he revealed he received a text from the Italian tactician over the summer informing him that he didn’t form part of his plans moving forward.
However, it seems as though Costa is just happy to be returning to the Spanish capital, as he insisted when asked in Sao Paolo if he was upset with the way Conte had treated that he didn’t feel anything negative.
“There’s nothing of the sort there, I’m not upset with anybody, I have no bitterness towards anyone. Everything is cool.
“Everybody knows how much I love the fans.”
It will be well over 100 days since he last played a game and so with Atletico’s transfer embargo preventing him from playing until January, Costa will have to regain his fitness in the coming months with a view of making a big impact in the second half of the campaign.