Diego Costa deal structure revealed?

The payment structure of Diego Costa's move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid has allegedly been revealed.

Earlier this week it was confirmed that the 28-year-old had finally sealed a switch back to the Spanish side, months after being frozen out of Blues boss Antonio Conte's future plans.

The deal was thought to have been a permanent one effective from January 1 - the day that Atletico's transfer ban expires - but according to The Times, Costa's move will initially be on a loan basis until the end of the season.

The La Liga side will pay just £5m for Costa's services for the second half of this campaign and then will make the first instalment towards his official transfer fee of £52.5m next July, when the move will become permanent.

The unusual structuring of the move is thought to be down to Atletico's concerns over breaching Financial Fair Play rules in the current season, with the club now expected to offload one of its big-name players next summer in order to finance Costa's permanent move.

Striker Antoine Griezmann is said to top that list, with Manchester United in line to return with a £88m bid next summer.