Chelsea have agreed on a deal to sell Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid.
The Premier League champions have confirmed the agreement on their official website and the forward is now expected to travel to Madrid for his medical.
As per the latest reports, the La Liga giants are paying around £57m for his services.
Atletico Madrid are currently serving a transfer ban and therefore the 28-year-old cannot play for them until January.
Costa will be delighted to have secured his return to Atletico Madrid, a club he has always admired. The striker had a fall out with Antonio Conte last season and he is no longer a part of the Italian’s plans.
The Spanish international has not played for Chelsea so far this season. Despite being asked to train with the first team, the player refused to return to London from his summer break. Chelsea will be glad to have put the saga behind them now.
Diego Costa scored 59 goals for Chelsea during his three years at the club and it will be interesting to see how the Blues handle his departure over the course of the season.
So far, Chelsea have done well without him but it is clear that they are missing a player with his physicality and determination. The games against Arsenal and Burnley showed that Chelsea are missing his aggression up front.
Time will tell whether Conte has made the right decision. Morata might be able to replace Costa’s goals this season but he will never be able to replace Costa’s overall contribution to the side.
There will be games this season where Chelsea will need to win ugly and Costa would have been priceless in those situations. If the Blues want to win the major trophies, players like Costa are necessary.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
