Diego Costa is just a few moments away from getting what he wants for some time now. Reports have it that transfer talks between the Chelsea striker and Atletico Madrid are finally closing in on each other.
Before the possibility of the much-anticipated transfer became likely, the mere thought of Atletico agreeing to Chelsea’s high demands were seen to be impossible. However, the recent progress just proves otherwise.
The Transfer Comes at a Price
Chelsea obviously doesn’t want to release Costa as they treat him as a valuable asset to the team. That is supported by the high asking price they’re asking from any club who wishes to acquire the 28-year-old footballer.
But Atletico Madrid doesn’t seem to mind the price as it has been reported that the Spanish club revised their proposal and upped it to a whopping £53 million. The base proposal is £40 million, plus an add-on of £9 million and another £4 million bonus payment for the early release of the Brazilian national.
Costa’s Desires Materializes
Costa hasn’t been shy about voicing out his opinions of leaving Chelsea for good. In one instance, he even spoke out about his desire to start training in Madrid even though there is still no official confirmation of his transfer.
This just shows how confident he is that the negotiations are going to bear any fruit. And despite the intent of Antonio Conte’s elite player in leaving the team for good, the 48-year-old manager is still doing his best to make Conte change his mind.
But based on how the Brazilian reacts to the issue, it’s pretty clear that tying up Conte to Chelsea wouldn’t do any good for the team’s success. And so, Conte, together with the management is finalizing the decision to release Costa as soon as possible.
Ever since rumors about Costa’s intent of leaving Chelsea made it to mainstream news, it was pretty clear to everyone that it wouldn’t happen. This is due to the high asking price of Chelsea for their elite striker.
And now, the way Costa talks about his current team, matched with the upcoming game between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea on Sept. 27, it seems like the English club is finally speeding up the process.
It makes perfect sense for the Blues to free Costa as it would hurt their team effort, knowing that every player must be in perfect harmony when playing in the field. With this, the striker should also be of gratitude to the Champions League as it is what sped up the process of him leaving for Atletico.
And even though Chelsea is one of the elite clubs in Europe, Costa seems to not mind it at all. Take note that the upcoming matchup puts Atletico as the underdog with 23/17 odds contrary to Chelsea’s 21/10. The draw odds are put at 21/10, showing that Costa’s current club is the better one in terms of win probability.
It still is uncertain as to what the real cause of Costa’s intent to leave Chelsea is. However, there are reports that point out to the misunderstanding of Costa and Conte after Chelsea’s defeat last May at the hands of Arsenal.
According to reports, Conte texted Costa, saying that he wasn’t any more part of his future plans. It’s safe to say that the Brazilian’s type of play wasn’t complimentary to Conte’s coaching style.
Long dribbles, constant fouls, and layoffs aren’t what Conte wants because he’s more of a conservative strategist who prefers traditional game plays over the unorthodox types. Whichever the case may be, Costa’s Atletico transfer might happen this week or the next.
But even if negotiations are successfully implemented, he won’t be an official member of the team until January due to the recent transfer ban imposed on him.
Standing of the Two Clubs
Chelsea and Atletico are part of the elite clubs in their own respective league, and the odds just prove it. The Blues are the favorite in their upcoming game against Arsenal with 5/6 odds as opposed to the Gunners’ 16/5. Checking out the club’s next game odds on a free bets UK website still shows that they’re the favorite. They get 4/6 odds contrary to Stoke’s 4/1.
On the other hand, Atletico is comfortable sitting on the 6th spot of the Spanish La Liga. This means that they’re one of the favorite teams as shown in their last game against Malaga on Sept. 16, Atletico got ¼ odds while Malaga has 13/1.
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