Costa accuses Chelsea of pricing him out of Atletico Madrid move

Diego Costa has accused Chelsea of pricing him out of a possible move back to Atletico Madrid.

The 28-year-old wants to leave the Premier League champions and return to the Spanish capital after being informed by Blues boss Antonio Conte that he was not wanted for the 2017-18 season.

Costa has threatened to stay in Brazil and risk incurring repeated fines for missing Chelsea training in order to force through a move away from Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes on August 31.

The Spain international’s future remains unclear, though, with no deal having yet been reached between Chelsea and any interested party, and Costa has now claimed that the club are demanding “an extraordinary amount” that Atletico are unable to pay.

“I’ve demonstrated I care for Atletico and have interest in playing for them,” he told ESPN Brasil. 

“But if Atletico and Chelsea don’t come to an agreement and Atletico don’t make a big effort, I can’t keep on wanting to play for a club that isn’t going to make a bigger effort to try and sign me.

“I know that this [big effort] will happen, but if it’s to pay the amount that Chelsea want it won’t be possible.

“What I know is that this offer Chelsea will get is bigger than what they paid [when they signed him from Atletico for £32million in July 2014], so I’ve given them something back in all senses.”

When asked how much Chelsea want, Costa replied: “I don’t know, but my agent said that Chelsea want something that Atletico can’t get near.

“When we heard that Conte didn’t want me anymore, my agent went to find out if there was interest from Atletico for me coming back. Of course, for the warmth and respect that I earned there, they showed interest. But they wouldn’t pay a fortune.

“Atletico is a team growing every year, a big team, but they can’t pay an extraordinary amount.”