What now for Diego Costa? Conte hints at Chelsea striker's exit despite Atletico Madrid deal dying

Updated 31/07/2016 at 10:02 GMT

Antonio Conte has admitted for the first time that he “doesn’t know” if former Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa will stay at Chelsea - despite Atletico's interest seemingly coming to an end.

Chelsea's Diego Costa during training

Image credit: Reuters

Costa missed Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup on Saturday with a reported back injury, yet Conte made the surprising admission about the striker after the game – just two days after insisting there was “no issue” with the former Atleti man.

“I can say that today Costa is a Chelsea player,” the coach is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

“He didn’t play in these games because of injury and if he solves the injury and I see in training that he is in good shape it can be possible to see him in the next game against Milan.

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“But I can say only this. I speak only for today and today Costa is Chelsea’s player. Tomorrow if you ask me if Costa will remain with us, I don’t know.”

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid

Image credit: PA Sport

What do Conte's words really mean?

Those words from the new Chelsea boss clearly suggest a possible exit for Costa. Managers who want to keep players never even admit the possibility that they could leave, and given the suspiciously vague nature of Costa's back injury it looks like he may just have been wrapped up in cotton wool ahead of a potential move.

Yet the only serious suitor has seemingly pulled out of the running: Costa’s former club Atletico Madrid had seemed keen on bringing back the 27-year-old, but after months of frustration appeared to look elsewhere on Saturday as they instead signed Sevilla's Kevin Gameiro.

Gameiro will be presented by Los Colchoneros on Sunday - but unless a couple of his new team mates at Atletico are sold, there seems to be neither money nor space in the squad for the temperamental striker.

"Griezmann, Gameiro, Torres and Correa seems to be a good set of forwards for Atletico," wrote Eurosport Spain's Cristian Maxedo on Saturday.

"Only a loan of Angel Correa to another team - such as Barcelona, who have been keen - could re-open the Costa deal.

But to be honest I think they were trying to get it off the ground for months. Simeone would have preferred Costa, but Chelsea refused to budge. There's a 0.1% chance something could change now.

Costa 'angry and frustrated'

Cristian Maxedo's analysis was backed up on Sunday morning by French football journalist Francois Piraux, who wrote a series of tweets claiming to have inside knowledge of what has happened within the Chelsea camp.

"Diego Costa is angry and frustrated after the signing of Kevin Gameiro with Atletico. He doesn't want to talk with Antonio Conte," wrote Piraux.

"That's why you can understand the quotes from Antonio Conte about Diego Costa last night....

"No surprises, Costa wants a comeback to Atletico this summer. But, it's clear Antonio Conte wants to keep him. Now, it's different..."

Where else could he go? The Premier League options

Arsenal and Tottenham are both sizeable clubs who are both in need of a top-line striker - and while many might baulk at the introduction of such a fiery character, both squads could do worse than get the injection of passion that a player like Costa can bring. Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have also been names tossed around by bookies.

None seem like serious options: Pep Guardiola surely wouldn't risk such a disruptive dressing room influence in his first year at City; Mourinho would certainly not countenance linking up with a player who failed him so badly last year at Chelsea, and Jurgen Klopp's giddy, exuberant Reds just don't feel like they'd fit with Costa.

Chelsea, however, seem highly reluctant to sell such a talented player - particularly when they must believe that recently-installed Blues boss Conte could give the Brazil-born Spain international a new lease of life. And the one thing the Blues will surely not do is strengthen a rival in the English top flight.

Chelsea's Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa wears a protective face mask during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on February 13, 2016.

Image credit: AFP

A better bet? Back to the continent

Regardless of those reasons for a Premier League move being off the table, the root cause of Costa's unhappiness seems to be life (and football) in England. In that light a move back to Spain seems far more likely.

There is an issue with that, however: the only clubs who could easily afford him are probably Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico. The first two don't need him, the latter appear to have gone for a different option.

Could another door open, however? With Sevilla losing Gameiro, the triple Europa League champions are in need of a main man up front - and Costa, with proven Champions League experience, would fit the bill perfectly as Jorge Sampaoli guides the Andalusian side into Europe's top club competition this season.

Outside of Spain PSG have a big hole to fill, having lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic; while Borussia Dortmund and Zenit St Petersburg have also been quoted by bookies as potential destinations.

So while a return to Atletico is now all-but ruled out, big clubs with big money are out there - and they could do worse

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Additional reporting via Football Espana

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