Paper Round: Antonio Conte and Diego Costa rift exposed as revelations could prove costly to Chelsea

The plot thickened on Thursday night following reports that Diego Costa had been dumped by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte by text during international duty. Costa revealed on Wednesday night that Conte had told him he was not part of his plans for next season and Thursday’s papers report the decision was made in November after Costa posted a picture of him cosying up with Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone on Instagram, leading Conte to question his commitment to the team.

Meanwhile, The Sun reports that the manner in which Costa’s departure from the squad was revealed could cost Chelsea £10 million. With Costa not having asked for a transfer and two years left on his £180,000-per-week contract, Chelsea might be forced to make a pay-out. To make matters worse, rivals Manchester United and Arsenal are now both said to be racing to sign him as they look to add fire power to their squads.

Paper Round’s view: It seems a little rash to axe one of the league’s top strikers (and without telling the Chelsea board, if reports are to be believed) on the basis of a photo on social media. Nonetheless, Costa admitted relations between the two had been strained this season and it’s understandable why Conte would want to banish a flight-risk from his squad, especially one as hot-headed as Costa - more so still if you thought you had Romelu Lukaku lined up to step in. Perhaps not by text, though.

The real dilemma now will be for Costa who will not be able to join Atletico until their transfer ban is spent in January 2018.

[Read the full story about the cost of Costa’s Instagram error]

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The Mirror reports that Bayern Munich are on course to negotiate a deal with Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. According to the report, the deal would not only beat Manchester City to the much coveted Chile international but blow it out of the water, making Sanchez the highest paid footballer on a £350,000-per-week salary.

Paper Round’s view: Haven’t we been here before? The same stories about Sanchez now seem to be on a loop, just going round and round. Though we have long argued we didn’t expect Sanchez to stay on at the Emirates without the draw of Champions League football next season, Sanchez is reported to have said: “The truth is that my agent will see to it.” In the absence of any kind of firm (or even vague) commitment by him, a move seems increasingly likely, especially - from Arsene Wenger's perspective - to a team outside of the Premier League, where he would pose less of a threat against Arsenal next season.

[Read the full story here]

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Harry Kane has spoken of his admiration for Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo and said he hopes to be able to emulate his success, as he approaches a crucial World Cup qualifier between England and Scotland. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Kane told reporters: “Ronaldo’s a great role model, a fantastic player. That’s hopefully something I can achieve one day,” adding “Who wouldn’t want to win that big gold trophy [the Ballon d’Or]? It’s definitely something I aspire to do. [But] You have to win the big tournaments, for club and country.”

Paper Round’s view: Harry Kane is the real deal, almost anyone will tell you. Top Premier League scorer for two years running, though he has yet to emulate that success during international duty it’s clear how much he wants it. Could Kane fill the boots of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to become a contender for those top accolades such as the Ballon d’Or? This is probably a question that can only be answered, as Kane rightly acknowledges, once we’ve seen him play in a title-winning squad.

[Read the full story here]