Diego Costa insists he has no hard feelings towards Chelsea or Antonio Conte after Atletico Madrid deal
Conte told ended the striker's Blues career by text over the summer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Diego Costa has insisted he holds no animosity towards Chelsea or manager Antonio Conte after the club agreed a deal to sell him back to Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea announced on Thursday that they had come to an agreement with the Brazilian-born Spaniard to return to La Liga in a deal understood to be a club-record fee worth upwards of £44m.
Personal terms and a medical are still to be completed but once the deal is confirmed Costa will not be able to play until January due to Atletico’s transfer ban.
Costa was deemed surplus to requirements over the summer by Conte after he sent his top scorer a text message telling him he would not be in his plans for this season.
As a result, the 28-year-old refused to return to training with the Blues and instead remained in Brazil until a deal was thrashed out with Atletico.
When asked in Sao Paulo if he was upset at the way Conte had treated him, Costa told Splash News: “There's nothing of the sort there, I'm not upset with anybody, I have no bitterness towards anyone. Everything is cool.”
Asked if he had a message for the Chelsea fans, he added: “Everybody knows how much I love the fans.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments