Chelsea

Diego Costa 'not expected to make Chelsea return'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 02 September 2017

Chelsea striker Diego Costa reportedly remains insistent that he will not return to the club, despite missing out on a summer move away.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reportedly given no suggestion that he is willing to bury the hatchet with the club despite missing out on a summer move away.

Costa has spent the opening weeks of the season on strike in Brazil after being informed via text that he has no future at the club by manager Antonio Conte during the summer break.

The 28-year-old was expected to strike a deal with Atletico Madrid which would see him move on loan to another club until the Spanish outfit's transfer ban expires in January.

However, no agreement was reached before last night's Spanish transfer deadline, and Costa is now unable to play for any team other than Chelsea until the window reopens next year.

Conte appeared to suggest that Costa could still play his way back into contention when he included him in his 25-man squad for the Premier League season, but The Telegraph reports that Costa has no plans to return to the club.

The Spain international is being fined £300,000 a week while he remains AWOL in Brazil, but he does not believe that he will be given a fair chance to compete for game time at Chelsea, who signed Alvaro Morata this summer.

Costa has scored 52 goals in just 89 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, including 20 to help fire them to the title last season.