Transfer Centre

Diego Costa: 'Atletico Madrid only team I will consider joining'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 28 May 2017

Diego Costa: 'Atletico only team I'll join'

Diego Costa reveals that "there is only one team to go to" if he were to be sold by Chelsea in the summer, playing down talk of a switch to the Chinese Super League.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has insisted that he intends to turn down any offers from the Far East this summer, as he will only consider returning to Atletico Madrid.

The 28-year-old was close to leaving Stamford Bridge in January after being made the subject of a big-money bid from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian.

Despite the speculation quietening down in recent weeks, with Quanjian themselves playing down a fresh offer, talk was still rife that the Spain international would be on his way out in the coming weeks.

Costa will only consider a move to former side Atletico, however, where he won three major honours - including the La Liga title in 2013-14 - during his four years at the club.

"There is only one team to go to if I have to leave Chelsea, there is only one," he told reporters. "If the club intend to sell me in order to bring in another striker then obviously I will leave but as I said there is only one club I'd leave for, everyone knows the team I like; Atletico? Yes, everybody knows this."

Costa netted for Chelsea in Saturday's eventual 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal, taking his tally for the season to 22 in all competitions.