Diego Costa is Chelsea’s leading goalscorer but there’s still a lingering sense around Stamford Bridge that he may move on this summer.
[ MORE: Ranking PL expectations ]
Costa, 28, was left out of Chelsea’s trip to Leicester City earlier this season after an apparent back injury as rumors of a training ground bust-up with one of Antonio Conte‘s training staff also swirled amid transfer speculation linking the Spanish international with a move to the Chinese Super League.
Despite Costa previously stating that he almost left Chelsea in the summer, the former Atletico Madrid man seems to have settled in west London once again as he’s scored 17 goals in the Premier League and has 49 goals in 80 PL appearances over the last three seasons.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Still, Costa has been speaking to Spanish radio station El Larguero and refused to rule out a move away from Chelsea.
“In life, anything can happen and I do not close the door to anything,” Costa said. “In football you are worth what you are worth when you are good. And why not? But right now I am good at Chelsea…I have two years left on my contract and I intend to fulfill them.
“But you never know. It’s not impossible to reject it because there are things to assess. You have to think about it all. I do not rule out anything. If they come with something for Chelsea and the club tell me to go…I can go to China or elsewhere.”
So, not exactly a ‘hey guys, I’m off to China’ statement, but I’m sure Chelsea’s staff and fans will have wanted a little more of a definitive answer from Costa.
Reports continue to link Chelsea with moves for Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata and even Antoine Griezmann and Alexis Sanchez this summer, which could unsettle Costa. Chelsea will be in the UEFA Champions League next season and will need more firepower to give Costa a rest but with their 3-4-3 system only one central striker can start each game.
After spending so long battling his way up through the ranks in Spain, Costa isn’t likely to sit on the bench anywhere.
Perhaps this statement is a little reminder to everyone at Chelsea that without his goals in two of the last three seasons the Blues would not have won the title/be well on their way to lifting the PL crown.
