Diego Costa Heading Back to Atletico Madrid?

Atletico Madrid are looking to resign former striker Diego Costa, however a number of stumbling blocks may prevent a transfer from happening.

Enrique Cerezo, Atletico Madrid’s president, recently expressed his desire to see Diego Costa wearing a Rojiblancos shirt again, but conceded it would be “difficult” to make this transfer work, according to ESPN. Supposedly, Chelsea are under the impression that their striker is happy with The Blues, which essentially pours cold water on any potential deal.

When speaking to Daily Mail, Cerezo said, “I think it’s difficult but as far as we are concerned we would love it if he came back here. It’s the Atleti way. We have a magnificent relationship with all ex-coaches and players. I went to see (Diego) SImeone in Argentina when he was at River Plate, that is the way it is with Costa.”

It is believed that the striker is under a £150,000 per week contract at Stamford Bridge, so it’s a question whether he would be willing to take a pay cut if any deal were to be sanctioned, as Atletico don’t boast as big a budget as some of top European sides. Cerezo insists that the relationship between the club and the player has always been great, so they would welcome him back at any time. “Whether he can come back or not is another thing but the relationship has always been fantastic,” commented the president. “He is OK because he is at a good club. I don’t know whether they will be in the Champions League this year.”

Diego Costa was quite prolific in front of goal for Atletico Madrid (Image credit: Buzzerg)

Since making the switch to Chelsea in summer 2014 for around £32 million, frontman Diego Costa has gone through a tumultuous spell. In his first season with The Blues he helped them win the Premier League title with his 19 goals in the English top flight, however since then his strike rate has gone down, as he currently has 11 goals to his name.

Diego Costa exchanged quite a few clubs before establishing himself as a regular player for Atletico in the final two seasons with the Madrid club. In the 2012-13 season, he found the back of the net 20 times across all competitions, while the following season he scored an impressive 36 goals in total, 27 of which came in La Liga alone.

After defeating Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, Atletico Madrid are the third favorites to clinch the Champions League trophy 4.33 (10/3), per Bet365 Sports. (For more details about the online sports betting site, check out Bet365 Sports Review.) If they manage to overcome their opponents in the semi-finals, this would see them reach the final of the competition for the second time in three years.

In La Liga, however, they are outsiders for the title with odds being a high 13.00 (12/1), despite currently holding 2nd position in the league with 73 points. They find themselves only 1 point above cross town rivals Real Madrid and 3 points behind defending champions Barcelona. If Diego Costa were to be brought back he would easily reintegrate himself into the squad and would undoubtedly help Atletico mount another title challenge.