Costa: I must return to Atletico Madrid

Absent Chelsea striker Diego Costa released a statement on Thursday explaining that he will not be returning to the Premier League champions and he will only accept a move to his former club, Atletico Madrid. 

Costa has been linked with a Chelsea exit for the last eighteen months, but after being told by manager Antonio Conte that he is no longer part of the team's plans it was confirmed that he would not feature for them again. 

The Spanish striker has not been in contact with his employers since leaving for Brazil, but he has spoken out about his feelings on the situation. "It turns out that there is the impasse that Chelsea does not want to release me. But I believe that this situation will be resolved now on my return to Spain. My destination is already made. I must return to Atletico Madrid. I have rejected other offers. They want to sell me to China or other teams. If I'm off, I'm going to the club I want to go to - not the club that's paying the most."

If Chelsea were considering selling Diego Costa to anyone other than Atletico Madrid, they may now think otherwise. Costa has proven that he can be a difficult character to influence if he disagrees with a situation and the Premier League champions may decide to cut their losses and accept any reasonable offer that Atletico Madrid make. 

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