Chelsea open Diego Costa transfer talks with Atletico Madrid
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have reportedly begun negotiating the £50million transfer of Diego Costa as he looks for a way out of Stamford Bridge.
This is despite Atletico being hit by a transfer ban, which would prevent them from registering Costa as part of their squad until January, meaning they plan to loan him out after signing him.
Chelsea want to ensure they get good money for Costa after fears that his bust-up with manager Antonio Conte going public would significantly weaken their negotiating position.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Blues are demanding £50m for a player who has shone in England since moving from Atletico to Chelsea just three years ago.
The Spain international has a record of 59 goals in 120 games for Chelsea, helping the club to two Premier League titles in the last three seasons, and scoring in two cup finals.
However, he has never fully settled in London and has been linked several times with a swift return to Madrid, who are in the market for a new striker this summer.
Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette has also been linked with the Spanish giants, but no longer seems to be a priority and talks are underway to ensure they finally bring Costa back to the Vicente Calderon.
It remains to be seen where Atletico could loan Costa to for the first half of the season, but AC Milan have also been strongly linked with him at points this summer.
