Diego Simeone has suggested that the impending return of Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid is a sign that the club is continuing to grow in stature.
The 28-year-old Chelsea striker arrived in the Spanish capital on Friday afternoon to thrash out personal terms with the Rojiblancos ahead of a reported £55m transfer.
Atletico are already blessed with a number of forward options, including Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa, Kevin Gameiro, Luciano Vietto and Fernando Torres, but Simeone does not see the increased competition as any sort of issue.
"I don't see it as something problematic," he told reporters. "On the contrary – important teams grow because of major players, and important players know that there is competition in the big teams. It is clear the club is growing and needs people who know how to compete while thinking about the club and the team.
"There is an agreement in principle, but officially I have not yet been informed that he is with us. He is still working with Chelsea, but the only thing that matters to me now is Sevilla."
Simeone paired together Griezmann and Correa for the 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao last time out - a result that lifted Atletico up to third place, two points behind next opponents Sevilla.
Daniel Lewis
