Atletico Madrid are confident they can reach a deal with Chelsea to sign Costa come January but they are urging him to make his peace with the Blues in order to help them get him.
Atletico and Chelsea were locked in talks through the final week of the transfer window but a breakthrough was still to be reached before the deadline passed in Spain on Friday evening.
Atletico are currently under a transfer ban and could not register Costa either way before January. They have time on their side but they want Diego to go and train with Chelsea and keep himself match fit before they get him
Chelsea want more than £50million, while Atletico are offering closer to £40m. Atletico sense that Chelsea’s resolve has been stiffened by Costa’s very public feud with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and there was concern in Spain on Friday night when it emerged that Costa has been registered to play in the Premier League
Atletico want Costa to leave Lagarto, his hometown in Brazil where he has currently been holed up and is scathing attacks at Chelsea. They would really appreciate a public or a private apology and a reconciliation would be appreciated.
Costa alleged in an interview with the Daily Mail that Conte ended his Chelsea career with the text, that the club are treating him ‘like a criminal’ and that he would be isolated from the squad and forced to train with the reserves if he returns.
Conte, for his part, has repeatedly stated that Costa is ‘in the past’ for Chelsea. Chelsea, by contrast, insist that Costa has been aware since January that a summer move was likely. It remains to be seen whether Costa will relax his position.
Costa is highly unlikely to swallow his pride and apologize for his antics as he remains firm that Conte ruined the essence of the relationship via a blunt text message.
Costa was left out of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers this week and some teammates believe he could have done more to ensure he was sufficiently fit to be there. Costa is working with a personal trainer every day in Lagarto but he is unlikely to be match-fit. In light of Conte’s public statements, the decision to register Costa in the club’s Premier League squad was unexpected.
Reports suggest that if Costa does not return then Chelsea could file a lawsuit against the player and sue him for not adhering to his contract.
Costa continues to be fined for his absence. While Conte remains dismissive in press conferences about his striker, the club have made contrasting noises.
They have issued Costa with orders to return to London as soon as possible, train, get match-fit and put himself in contention for the first team.
This four-point demand puts the club on a collision course with Conte. Equally, the decision to register Costa allows the club to provide the impression that he is welcome to return.
However, this does not directly impact Conte’s plans since a club may name 25 senior professionals in their Premier League squad but, even including Costa, the Chelsea list is thin on numbers and there are only 21 registered.
The Saga keeps getting messier and messier. Coming few weeks will provide more clarity.
