Diego Costa's future at Chelsea has been questioned a whole lot of times recently and the striker has now confirmed that he tried to force a move away from Chelsea in the summer window.
There was talk of Chelsea receiving a massive bid from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian in the January following a falling out with Antonio Conte but Costa has revealed that he tried to leave Stamford Bridge just as the new Chelsea boss had come into the club in the summer.
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The 28-year old has been instrumental in Chelsea's excellent run, whereby they now look nailed on to the Premier League title, yet it could have all been a different story had Costa had his way in the summer.
Chelsea fans would have been doing much more than brushing their teeth at games had Costa got his wish:
Credit: Sky Sports
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He has revealed that he was desperate to return to Atletico Madrid in the summer.
Costa scored an incredible 35 goals in all competitions for Atleti in the 2013/14 season as they won La Liga under Diego SImeone before he joined Chelsea in a £32 million move.
He has only been in England for three years but admitted that he pushed to return to the Vicente Calderon in the summer.
Speaking to a Spanish radio station on a programme called El Larguero, he said:
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"I did everything possible to return to Atletico. I won't fight like that to return again.
"When Atletico had to wait for me they didn't. I had to go to Conte with my tail between my legs."
Chelsea fans will undoubtedly be over the moon that a move never materialised for Costa as the Spanish international has hit 17 goals in the Premier League this season.
The Blues appear desperate to tie him down to a new contact after interest from China but the fact that Costa says he won't fight again to return to Atletico can only be encouraging for Chelsea.
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Just last month, there were reports that, namely from The Sun, Costa was on the verge of signing a new bumper five year deal with the striker being paid a basic of £220k-a-week.
With bonuses the 28 year old's wage could go from £57 million, over the five years, to a whopping £65 million, no small change for sure.
The newspaper claimed that the striker, is set to leapfrog Cesc Fabregas as the club's top earner.
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The new wages would also take him into the top five of the Premier League's top earners although he would still be someway short of Wayne Rooney's £300k-a-week.
Do you think Costa will still be at Chelsea in the summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
(h/t The Times)
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Diego Costa