Diego Costa

Costa To China? 5 Realistic Replacements Chelsea Could Sign This January

... Big names such as Antoine Griezmann and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are surely off the table right now even if Chelsea do have significant money to throw around, with the Blues also hampered by not being in the Champions League this season. Here’s a look at five more realistic signings the league leaders could make up front in an attempt to save their season if Costa does leave…. Romelu Lukaku. Romelu Lukaku has long been linked with a return to Chelsea (Picture: Getty). Long linked with a return to Chelsea after failing to make it at Stamford Bridge earlier in his career, it’s fair to say Romelu Lukaku’s time may finally have come. Rumour Mill: our round-up of football gossip, rumours and speculation. The Belgian has been in top form for Everton since leaving London for Merseyside, and has earned a crack at a move to a top club once again. With 25 goals in all competitions last season and a further 12 so far this term, there’s no doubting Lukaku’s ability, and it’s previously been claimed he would favour Chelsea over other big sides due to his ‘unfinished ...

Chelsea Striker Is Dropped After Dispute Over Fitness With Coach

... and provided five assists this season. Chelsea declined to comment. It is understood Blues owner Roman Abramovich is not interested in releasing him from his contract, which expires in 2019, and would not entertain the idea of being forced to do so. Podcast: Is Costa about to derail Chelsea's season. Speaking in early January, Costa admitted he wanted to leave Chelsea last summer, but said he was now happy to stay. Chelsea had been hopeful of agreeing a contract extension with the Brazil-born forward, but the dispute with fitness coach Julio Tous raises new doubts. Diego Costa's record in Premier League matches for Chelsea. Costa joined the Blues for £32 m in 2014, and was understood to be close to a return to former club Atletico Madrid after a difficult 2015-16 campaign. "Did I want to go? Yes, yes, I ...

Latest Rumours On James Rodriguez And Diego Costa

... Luke Augustus of Mail Online, and the Blues may be in danger of losing star man Diego Costa to a similarly crazy deal in the coming weeks. According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Costa has been offered a staggering £30 million per year to play his football in China, and Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones revealed that he’s interested in snapping it up. Diego Costa's head has been turned by interest from China, where he would become the highest paid player in the world. — Dean Jones (@Dean Jones BR) January 13, 2017. However, former Liverpool and Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness believes that the Blues must turn their attention to keeping Costa at Stamford Bridge, or their title hopes will evaporate. Talking with Sky Sports , Souness warned Chelsea that their grip on the Premier League trophy will get looser and looser if the striker departs: "This is the very last thing Chelsea need. He is playing out of his skin. They lose him and all of a sudden they are not going to win the Premier League. If sense prevailed, maybe he could stay until the ...

Why Not?' When Asked If Diego Costa Can Return

... Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday - and Conte is pleased that his team has put the pressure back on their rivals. "Now we've started the second part of the season, and the points are very heavy for all the teams," Conte added. "Now we stay on top of the table and if you win you put pressure on the other teams. "We started this game with great pressure after Tottenham's victory, after Arsenal's victory, and we had to show good experience to manage this situation.". Leicester's defence of their Premier League crown continues to be a struggle and defeat leaves them five points above the bottom three. But boss Claudio Ranieri insists his players have the stomach for a relegation battle. "From the beginning we have been looking over our shoulder but we are in good condition and I am sure now we can get some more points," he said. "The mentality is right, we fight. ...

Diego Costa’s Instagram Post After Antonio Conte Feud Has Confused Chelsea Fans

... his head has been turned by an incredible offer from one Chinese Super League club ready to pay him £576,000-a-week. Article continues below. Julian Draxler has just scored his second PSG goal and it is a beauty. It would be hard for anyone to say no to those figures, and also explains why Chelsea fans shouldn’t look to these videos of Costa and Conte getting along as proof that the Spain international is happy at the club. Costa's Instagram post. But supporters will jump on any hint that the reports of Costa’s unhappiness have been blown out of proportion. And he provided it with an interesting post on Instagram on Friday night. “Come on Chelsea!” reads the caption, along with a blue heart. Chelsea fans react. Presumably, Costa wasn’t behind the post. But it’s unlike that it would have been shared without his consent. Some fans believe it’s a sign that he’s staying, while others ...

Antonio Conte Identifies The Striker He Wants To Sign To Replace Diego Costa Sun

... player to take Costa’s place. That’s because they’re claiming that Conte feels Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata is the ideal man to fit his system at Stamford Bridge. Article continues below. Julian Draxler has just scored his second PSG goal and it is a beauty. Despite Costa scoring 14 goals as the Blues sit top of the league, Conte still doesn’t think that he the right man to lead the line for his side. Conte believes that Costa’s ego has always been an issue and, due to his age (27) and temperament, he isn’t the long-term solution for Conte. The 'perfect' striker. Instead, he believes Morata is ‘perfect’. Conte convinced the Juventus hierarchy to sign Morata back in 2014 from Madrid before he returned to Spain this summer. And Conte is adamant he can transform the 24-year-old into a 20-goal-a-season striker in west London. Morata’s age - and the fact that he’s more mobile - makes him the type of striker Conte has always dreamed of managing. Morata has shown ...

Diego Costa Wants January China Move, Ac Milan Linked With Exciting Midfield Trio

... China in January and Conte’s decision to drop him for today’s Leicester City clash is no good news for Chelsea fans. The Italian paper reports that the striker had not been training over the last three days due to back pain. No substantial injuries, however, have been highlighted by the medical test that the player has undergone causing Conte’s hanger. The Italian tactician has decided not to call Costa for today’s game against Leicester City, but the Blues do not want to sell the Brazil-born centre forward so much so Roman Abramovich is said to be ‘firmly willing to keep Costa out of the starting XI until the end of his contract if he pushes to leave the club in January’, Tuttosport also reports. There are way better news for AC Milan fans given that their designated director of sport Massimiliano Mirabelli is getting crazy travelling around Europe to spot the best players to bring at the San Siro at the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign. Mirabelli will officially be announced as AC Milan’s new director of sport in March, after that Sino-Europe complete the club’s takeover. ​According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Mirabelli has set sights on an ...

Chelsea Drops Diego Costa Amid Rift, Unsettling Chinese Link

... of a Chinese club willing to pay him more than $30 million a year, but Chelsea is determined to hold onto its most influential player. The Spain international, who joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in 2014, has 14 goals in the league this season and is under contract until 2019. Costa has been a vital component in Chelsea's revival after the team went from champions to an 11 th-place finish last season. Chelsea has a five-point lead over Liverpool after its 13-match winning streak was ended by Tottenham in the team's last league game. Chelsea has already sold two players — John Obi Mikel and Oscar — to Chinese Super League clubs in the last month. Chelsea made 60 million pounds ($73 million) just from Shanghai SIPG for Oscar. Despite the windfall, Conte said he hoped the club would not lose any more players to Chinese clubs, which spent more than $600 million on foreign players in 2016. "The Chinese market is a danger for all," Conte ...