Wantaway Chelsea Striker Diego Costa 'Returns to London' in Bid to Finally End Chelsea Exile

Diego Costa has returned to London, as he bids to end his exile and seal a move back to Atletico Madrid, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.

Earlier in the summer, the striker was informed by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte that he was not part of the Italian's plans, and has since refused to report to training, opting to remain in his hometown of Lagarto in Brazil.

But the three-month stand off is now believed to have come to an end. Costa has returned in the hope of beginning negotiations with Chelsea's hierarchy to force through a return to the Spanish capital in January.

Atletico and Chelsea had been locked in negotiations throughout the latter stages of the summer transfer window, but were unable to reach an agreement for the striker, whom the Blues value at £50m.

Atletico have encouraged Costa to make his peace with Chelsea in order to ensure he makes his desired switch in the next transfer window.

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The Spaniard must also regain match fitness following a summer with no supervised training plan; Atletico hope he will be ready to feature in the next round of international fixtures in October.

Costa was left out of Chelsea's 25-man Champions League squad on Monday, and was likely only included in the Premier League squad to make up numbers in a side that has only 21 senior players. However, this apparent relaxation of tensions should be sufficient to make sure of a move that he has wanted for several months.