Diego Costa must meet 4 demands for Chelsea to allow Atletico Madrid move

The Spaniard has never been too far from controversy during his time at Chelsea but it seems he’s outdone himself this summer. It’s fair to say Antonio Conte made something of an error in revealing Costa’s future over text.

And while his departure from Stamford Bridge has been inevitable for some time, Costa has finally snapped with the Blues keeping him in limbo.

In a fiery interview with the Daily Mail, he lamented: “In January, things happened with the coach. I was on the brink of renewing my contract and they put the brakes on it. I suspect the manager was behind it.

“His ideas are very fixed and clear. I have seen the sort of person he is. He has his own opinion and that will not change.

“I respect him as a great coach. He has done a good job and I can see that, but as a person, no. He is not a coach who is very close with his players. He is very distant. He doesn’t possess charisma.”

That’s not to mention the fact he believed he was treated as a ‘criminal’ and that he was being shepherded towards China, in spite of preferring a move to Atletico Madrid.

You could have an absolute field day listing Costa’s grievances with the club and Conte, with whom tensions can be traced back to January.

In response to Costa’s Brazilian exile, the club’s first reaction – as per Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol – was to fine the forward two weeks’ wages. That amounts to no less than £300,000.

Since then, however, and perhaps encouraged by the Spaniard’s ‘let them fine me’ remark, the Blues have offered him an olive branch. According to The Sun, the club is proposing certain conditions upon which a solution can be amicably found.

The four demands are:

• Costa must return to Cobham training ground.
• He must resume training.
• He must prove his match fitness.
• And must fight for a first team place.

Essentially, it seems that Chelsea are willing to accommodate Costa until Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban elapses in January. However, they expect that he gets back into shape in the meantime – perhaps a ploy to augment his transfer fee.

It is perhaps in Costa’s best interest to take the offer as, having broken Chelsea’s code of conduct, he could face a series of fines.