Chelsea have identified Alvaro Morata as their no.1 target to replace unsettled striker Diego Costa, according to reports.
Costa has been dropped by Chelsea for their match against Premier League champions Leicester later today after a training ground bust-up with Antonio Conte and a fitness coach. The striker, perhaps, has had his head turned by an astonishing £576,000-a-week offer from the Chinese Super League.
Costa was told to train away from the rest of the squad for three days after the row and did not travel with the squad to Leicester. But that has not stopped Costa’s team-mates trying to act as peacemakers by telling the striker to say sorry for the incident and ignore the interest from China – at least until the summer.
Costa has been told that he will regret his actions and that he should concentrate on firing Chelsea to the title, and then reassess his future in the summer if he is still unhappy.
There was an encouraging sign that Costa may be listening to the advice late on Friday night, as he posted a picture on Instagram with the message ‘Come on Chelsea’.
The message was instantly ‘liked’ by Chelsea captain John Terry and Cesc Fabregas, two of the men who have been working hard to try to make Costa see sense.
Chelsea hope the situation can still be resolved and Costa is likely to hold talks with Conte early next week, with owner Roman Abramovich adamant the 28-year-old will not be sold this month.
And Italian outlet Calciomercato are reporting that Antonio Conte has contacted Real Madrid over a possible move for Morata. The Spain international has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place at Madrid with Karim Benzema the preferred option.
Conte managed Morata during their time at Juventus and the striker may be tempted to work again with the Italian. But Chelsea have been told that Morata will not be sold in this transfer window.
Madrid are currently serving a transfer ban and would not be able to find a replacement until the summer window opens. The report also names former Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku as a target for Conte should a bid for Morata fall through.
The Everton striker was strongly linked with a return to Stamford Bridge last summer but chose to remain on Merseyside.