3 possible destinations for Diego Costa in January

With the January transfer window reopening in a matter of days, there is no doubt that teams from across the footballing world would have been put on red alert by the news that Diego Costa is now a free agent.

Coming as a shock to many across Europe, Spanish giants Atletico Madrid announced on Tuesday that they had mutually terminated the former Chelsea strikers contract due to personal reasons.

Admitting that he is seeking a new adventure after ending his second spell in the Spanish capital, we have taken a look at three possible destinations for Costa in January.

Wolves

With AS reporting on Tuesday that Costa does have his sights set on extending his stay in Europe, many fans from across the Premier League have pondered if Costa could be making an imminent return to England over the coming weeks.

Spending three years at Stamford Bridge and also helping Chelsea lift two Premier League titles during his tenure in the capital, some would have been surprised to see that Wolves have been tipped as the leading contender to secure Costa’s signature with the bookies.

Already priced at 6/4 with Betfair to make the move to Molineux in January, it is no secret that Wolves are looking to add to their attacking options after Raul Jimenez’s sickening head injury picked up away at Arsenal last month.

Unable to call upon their Mexican ace for the foreseeable future as he recovers from a fractured skull, Wolves have won just one of their last six Premier League matchups and summer arrival Fabio Silva has struggled to fill Jimenez’s void up top.

Arsenal

While Wolves might be the front runner to secure Costa’s signature in January, the Midlands outfit are not the only Premier League side who are reportedly in the race to bring the now-former Atletico striker back to England sooner rather than later.

With AS announcing that Costa has his sights set on staying in Europe, their report also states that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are keen on the idea of handing the 32-year-old a return to London.

While the Gunners might have managed to turn a minor corner over the past week thanks to back-to-back victories against Chelsea and Brighton, it has been a far from ideal start to life at the Emirates for Pep Guardiola’s former right-hand man.

Still slumping it in the bottom-half of the table and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failing to find any real form since signing his bumper new deal in North London, Costa did manage to bag himself 59 goals during his time at Stamford Bridge and would certainly be a smart acquisition for the Gunners in January.

A move to China?

While all signs coming from Costa’s camp might point to the Spanish international wanting to stay in Europe, there is no doubt that the controversial striker will receive a string of lucrative offers from the Far East and his native Brazil.

If Costa does have his sights set on earning one final bumper payday, then the 32-year-old could once again be open to the idea of making the move over to China in the New Year.

While many would feel that a move to China would be a step down for the former Premier League champion, even in the latter stages of his career, this is not the first time that Costa has been heavily linked with a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League.

Back in 2018 when in the midst of an ongoing spat with Antonio Conte at Chelsea, Tianjin Quanjian admitted their plans to sign Costa were scuppered when a rule change limited the number of foreign players allowed in matchday squads.