Chelsea will issue a hands-off warning to Atletico Madrid over their links to Diego Costa, as new coach Antonio Conte is intent on keeping the forward at Stamford Bridge.
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Costa is wanted by his former club this summer, but Chelsea aren’t interested in selling. He’s working very hard and he seems very happy to work with his team-mates and a new idea of football. Diego Costa is our player; he’s a fantastic player with fundamental importance.
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo was even reported to have said a deal was close to completion this week before backtracking in an interview with newspaper AS.
Costa, 27, has been linked with a return to former club Atletico Madrid after a troubled second season in England.
Another player who looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond August’s transfer deadline is versatile winger Juan Cuadrado.
Costa was a sensation in his first season with the Blues after arriving for £32m in 2014, his goals largely responsible for firing Chelsea to the title that season.
Costa and the rest of the Chelsea squad are now in a week-long training camp in the southern Austrian town of Velden, before flying to the United States to participate in the International Champions Cup. “I have found that the players have the right attitude and they are great workers”, the Italian added.
“They are great workers and this is very important because we need to have a bit of time to go into a new idea of football, and a new method of work with different tactical, physical and mental aspects”.
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“I’m very happy with our work”. He can score a lot of goals for us.
