Official: Diego Costa to rejoin Atletico Madrid

Chelsea have annouced that they have reached an agreement with
Atletico Madrid for the signing of Diego Costa subject to a medical
and personal terms being agreed.

Chelsea FC @

ChelseaFC

Chelsea Football Club has today agreed terms with Atletico Madrid for
the transfer of Diego Costa...

02:42 PM - 21 Sep 2017

The 28 year old rejoins the Spanish side after three years in England
with 64 goals in 135 games for a fee reported to be close to £50m

His departure brings to an end a protracted saga between player and
club that started in January.

In June, he was told by manager Antonio Conte via a text message
that he wasn't in his plans.

He subsequently refused to return to training in London despite being
mandated by the club to do so. But instead stayed over in Brazil where
he used several press releases and interviews to indicate that he
would only accept a transfer back to La Liga side Atletico Madrid, and
he has gotten his wish.

He leaves Chelsea after winning two Premier League titles, and a League Cup.

Diego Costa ask Chelsea to release him, wants Atletico move

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reiterated his stands that he would
not return to London to resume training as directed by the club, but
instead he has asked the club to release him as he wants a move to
Atletico Madrid.

In the statement released, he said

"I must return to Atletico Madrid,"
"We are at an impasse because Chelsea do not want to release me."

"But I believe that this situation will be resolved soon for my return
to Spain."

The club directed him to return to London for training and make
himself available for first team selection, but the 28 year old is
adamant that he wouldn't return.

This latest statement follows the interview he granted last weekend
where he openly criticised the club for the way he has been treated.

With the transfer window just two weeks away from being shut, he has
increasingly gone public with his refusal to return to Chelsea and his
desire to return to Madrid instead, in spite of the fact that he knows
he cannot kick a ball for Diego Simeone's side until at least January,
because of the transfer ban they are under.

There are now reports that the the club is considering taking legal
action against the player for his refusal to return to training.

Already he is being heavily fined by the club, but this seem not have
deterred him to shift his position.

It remains to be seen how this impasse would be resolved. A situation
that started from the simple exchange of a text message between a
player and his manager.

Chelsea outlines four conditions for Diego Costa's return

According to English tabloid, the Guardian, Chelsea have reacted to
the interview granted by their striker Diego Costa by outling four
conditions for his return to the club.

The conditions are;

* That he should return to the club.

* That he should report for training.

* That he get match fit.

* That he put himself into contention for first-team selection.

With the words he used to describe Antonio Conte by taking a shot at
the Italian in his interview with the Daily Mail, it remains to be
seen whether the fourth of that condition can see the light of day.

It obvious that the relationship between Conte and Diego Costa has
reached breaking point. With the Italian no longer interested in
having him in his squad, it is remarkable that part of the condition
for his return is that he trains to put himself in contention for
first team selection. Whether that is a preclude to put him in shape
for a potential transfer before transfer deadline day remains to be
seen.

One thing is clear, the player is intent on seeing the matter resolved
while the transfer window is still open.

In the coming weeks, things should become clear as regard the
direction this dispute would take.

Chelsea's Diego Costa refuse to return to training

The dispute between Chelsea and their Spanish international striker
Diego Costa has taken a new turn, after he revealed openingly in an
exlusive interview with English tabloid, Daily Mai that he wouldn't
return to training with the reserve, but would rather remain in Brazil
where he is with his family.

He has been embroiled with a dispute with Chelsea's manager, Antonio
Conte that boiled over after the Italian sent him a text message in
June that he was no longer part of his plans.

The Italian reiterated his stand during pre-season that he sees the
striker as being in the past, as he was told he could leave in
January.

The stand point between both parties is that Diego Costa prefers a
move to Atletico Madrid and has turned down other offers, as he has
firmly stood his ground that he would only move to Diego Simeone's
team.

However, the Spanish team are under a transfer ban, and can only sign,
but not register any player.

With the transfer window just under three weeks from being shut, and
the player vehemently refusing to toll the club's line, it remains to
be seen how the saga is resolved.

Here is snippet of his interview with the Daily Mail:

"His [Antonio Conte] 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."

"I have not deleted the message. If people accuse me of lying, I can
show them. It was clear, saying that he didn't count on me and wishing
me the best for the future. Full stop."

"Why won't they let me go if they don't want me? I have to do what I
have to do. I have to think of myself. I've been a good boy here and
tried to do the right thing."

"My desire is to go to Atletico.
I've spoken to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. I
said, "If the manager doesn't want me, I want to go to Atletico Madrid".

"I have rejected other offers. They want to sell me to China or other
teams. The language is better for me in Spain. If I'm off, I'm going
to the club I want to go to — not the club that's paying the most."

"They want me to be there training with the reserves. I wouldn't be
allowed access to the first-team dressing room and I would have no
contact at all with the guys."

"I'm not a criminal! I don't think it is fair after all I have done to
be treated like that."

"I take the hit every week but I'm not driven by money. The important
thing is to be happy with how I live. I'm here with my parents and
people who respect me."

"I am open to being a year in Brazil without playing, even if Chelsea
fine me for a year and don't pay me. I'll come back stronger. If I was
in the wrong, I'd go back now and do as they say."

"At the start of summer, they gave me an extra week of holiday. Then a
week later they called to see where I was but by then the team was in
Asia on tour, so I could go back and not have any contact with the
boys."

"That seems a very bad and ugly life. It doesn't respect what I have
done for the club. I am here with people who love me. I want the fans
to know I still care deeply about them but I'm not going back to be
separated like that."

"I want the deal with Atletico resolved this month. My idea would be
to go to Madrid, train there, get in the best physical shape and be
ready to fire ahead of the World Cup."

Diego Costa treated badly by Chelsea says his agent

The future of Diego Costa has been up in the air after it was revealed
earlier in the summer that he wasn't part of Antonio Conte's plans for
the new season.
The Italian later confirmed in July while Chelsea were on a tour of
Asia that, the player was told he could leave in January.

Now Costa's agent has come out to criticise the way his client has been treated.

In an interview, Ricardo Cardoso said did not hold back in criticising
the way the uncertainity over Costa's future have been handled by the
club.

"When he was with the Spanish national team in June, he was dismissed
from Chelsea by Antonio Conte through a text message... The way in
which it was carried out and the fact that it came out in public shows
unfair behaviour and a lack of respect for the player and it is
inadmissible and inexcusable on Antonio Conte's part." he said.

He continued.

"This discriminatory behaviour makes it impossible for Diego Costa to
return to Chelsea while Antonio Conte is the coach, there is no
condition for him to continue playing at Chelsea, which has already
been passed on to those responsible several times."

"We are going to use all possible legal mechanisms to hold Chelsea
responsible for their behaviour, making possible the departure of
Diego Costa,"

"He will formally request the transfer."

Diego Costa's situation is made more complicated because of the
player's desire to join Atletico Madrid. This has been made difficult
by the Spanish club's transfer ban, which prevents them from
registering players until January, 2018.

His agent reiterated the player's desire to join the Spanish capital
club once again.

"At the moment, he does not want to play for a club other than Atletico Madrid."

Diego Costa's spell with Chelsea has been been fruitful with two
Premier League titles and a league cup since he joined from Atletico
Madrid in 2014 for £32m.

With the transfer window due to close in 28 days time, the club and
the player would have to resolve the impasse.

Antonio Conte: Diego Costa was out of my plans in January

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte has confirmed that Diego Costa was out
of his plans as far back as January, 2017.

The Spanish international was the subject of a huge bid from a Chinese
club at the time after reports came out that he had a bust up with a
club trainer which caused him to be dropped from the Chelsea squad.

After the revelations earlier in the summer that he was no longer part
of the manager's plans through a text exchange.

It has no been revealed by the Italian that the decision to severe
ties with the 28 year old was taken seven months ago after the
incident which caused him to be dropped from the team.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, China, ahead of Chelsea's
pre-season friendly with Arsenal on Saturday, he confirmed what has
been known by sections of the club's fanbase and the media.

"In January, the Costa situation was very clear for the club, for him
and his agent," he said

"I don't to like to talk about players that don't stay here - for me
the situation is closed."

The issue remains whether any club would be willing to meet Chelsea's
valuation of a player they clearly want out of the club. His preferred
destination is to return to Atletico Madrid, but the club are under a
transfer ban until January 2018.

It remains to be seen how this would be eventually resolved as a
replacement in the person of Alvaro Morata has been signed with just
confirmation from the club being what is left.