Atletico Willing to Pay £40m for Chelsea Troublemaker Diego Costa But Blues Feud Complicating Move

Atletico Madrid are wary of getting involved in Diego Costa's row with Chelsea, despite being prepared to pay £40m to re-sign the striker, the Daily Starreports.

A return to the Spanish capital remains Costa's wish, with his Chelsea career effectively over – manager Antonio Conte has informed him that he has no future at the club.

Costa has pushed for this move since receiving a text from Conte while on international duty earlier in the summer.

The process has been complicated by Atletico's transfer ban, which remains in place until January, but it now seems that Diego Simeone's side are ready to pay £40m for the 28-year-old this month.

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He would not be able to play for the Spanish side until mid-season, but is currently with his family in Brazil anyway, having refused to train with Chelsea's under-23s.

This has sparked an ugly feud between the player and his current club, in which Atletico are reluctant to get involved, as they do not want to damage their relationship with Chelsea. While communication between the two clubs remains open, this may scupper Costa's hopes of a move, with the transfer window due to shut in just over two weeks.

Costa initially joined Chelsea from Atletico for £32m in 2014, and has scored 59 goals for the Blues, helping them to two Premier League titles in three years.