We may finally have seen the back of one of the Premier League’s biggest ever bastards, Diego Costa.
The Chelsea striker has kicked and elbowed nearly every defender in the league, but could now be on his way back to where he came from – that’s Atletico Madrid, not Brazil.
Diego Simeone wants his former striker to return to the Vicente Calderon to lead the line alongside Antoine Griezmann, as Atleti look to finally capture the Champions League next season.
The Argentine nearly walked away from Atleti after losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid in May, but was persuaded to stay on, despite being linked to Paris Saint Germain.
Simeone has never been comfortable with the club’s penchant for letting top players leave – ironically, something that happened with Costa of course.
And it’s thought that one of the conditions Simeone made clear to the Atleti board to secure his future was that the club sign the Spanish international back.
Costa returned to Chelsea for pre-season training on Monday, and will be hoping to bounce back from a season where he scored just 12 goals, and fought with 243 defenders.
But Atleti are set to test the waters with a bid, and the Spanish media claim Costa would be interested in a return to his former club, where he won the La Liga title in 2013/14.
Chelsea have already signed Michy Batshuayi this summer, but the Belgian is seen as more of a partner for Costa, rather than a replacement.
However, if the 27-year-old chooses to go and knock lumps out of Spanish defenders once again, the former Standard Liege striker could become first choice.
And that would mean Costa vs Pepe in the Madrid derby once again, so everyone’s a winner.
