Atletico Madrid have confirmed their interest in signing Diego Costa in the summer, just two years after they sold him to Chelsea for £32million.
Costa was a key player as Los Rojiblancos won La Liga title in 2014, in the same season they reached the UEFA Champions League final were they agonisingly lost to city rivals Real. That summer he made the move to the English capital, and he enjoyed a fine debut season in the Premier League as Chelsea won both the league title and the League Cup under Jose Mourinho.
The 27-year-old scored 21 goals in all competitions that term, and although it is widely accepted that, like his team-mates, he has failed to find his best form this time round, he has eight goals in 25 appearances. But with wholesale changes expected at Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign, the Spain international is one of several players who could be offloaded.
Costa was widely linked with a return to Atletico during the recent transfer window, but it is understood that no approach was made for his signature. This, though, looks set to change during the summer, after Vicente Calderon president Enrique Cerezo told radio station Cadena Cope: “We will try everything possible and see what Chelsea say, but it doesn’t depend solely on us.”
Atletico have had their transfer ban suspended, meaning they will be able to enter the market at the end of the season. And they will certainly have the cash to invest in their squad after selling Colombian international striker Jackson Martinez to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande for £32million. Cerezo said of this transfer: “It was a magnificent deal for the three parties.”
