Chelsea striker Diego Costa is taking his time to consider his future away from the club which is directly frustrating Antonio Conte to seal a deal for Romelu Lukaku, according to reports.
Costa-Conte Rift
Diego Costa is one of the key players to help Antonio Conte win Premier League in his debut season. The Spaniard was the most important player for the Blues during the first half of the season.
However, the initial problem arose during the winter break when Costa was linked with a move to Chinese Super League. The duo had overcome the differences to help the club win the league and qualify for Champions League.
But the 28-year old revealed the text message from Conte in which the Italian manager made it clear that Costa is no longer in his plans for next season.
Romelu Lukaku Transfer Not Getting Any Close
According to Daily Mirror, the Spanish international is keen to make life difficult for Conte in the ongoing transfer window. The Blues are desperate to sign Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, who is considered as an ideal replacement for Costa.
Lukaku is one of the best strikers in Premier League as he scored an impressive 25 goals in the league last season with the Toffees. He is young at 24 and will be a huge player in the coming days. Chelsea are keen to sign him back this summer after letting him leave to Merseyside in the summer of 2014.
However, Diego Costa is yet to consider his future as he is only willing to make a move to his home club Atletico Madrid. He has reportedly rejected deals from Chinese clubs as well as an approach from Italian giants AC Milan.
This stance is making it harder for Antonio Conte to bring back Lukaku to Stamford Bridge this summer. The Belgian striker would be a huge statement of intent by the club if they manage to sign him but Costa’s position at the club is causing delay to finalise the deal.
Chelsea are once enduring a tough summer after failing to land any of their transfer targets so far. They have only managed to sign Willy Caballero so far on a free transfer and lost the likes of John Terry and Asmir Begovic.