Diego Costa turned down permanent move to EPL rival

Outgoing Chelsea striker Diego Costa knocked back advances from Everton during the final days of the summer transfer window.

The 28-year-old refused to return to Blues training prior to pre-season after manager Antonio Conte informed him that he is not part of his plans via a text message.

According to TalkSPORT, the Toffees tabled a club-record £66m bid for Costa last month with Ronald Koeman having looked to reinforce his striking options.

However, the marksman was only keen on a return to Atletico Madrid, which he realised after the club agreed on a £57m deal with Chelsea on Thursday.

The failure to sign a new striker has affected the Toffees' progress since the start of the season with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sandro Ramirez yet to get on the scoresheet.

Forgotten forward Oumar Niasse became an unlikely saviour for Everton during their 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth on Saturday, and Koeman is likely to stick with him for the coming games.