Diego Costa defies Chelsea’s orders to force through move away

Diego Costa will fly to Spain in order to accelerate a return to Atletico Madrid despite being told he must report back for training.

The Chelsea frontman has remained in Brazil all summer and missed their opening league match of the season after being told by Antonio Conte at the start of the summer he is no longer wanted.

Chelsea have already fined Costa for going against team orders and staying away from the club and he is now running the risk of legal action from Conte’s side.

The 28-year-old has made it clear he only wants to re-join Atletico this summer and intends on flying to Madrid in order to force through a move away from the reigning Premier League champions.

“My destination is already made. I must return to Atletico Madrid,” Costa said in a statement, via The Daily Telegraph. “It turns out there is the impasse that Chelsea does not want to release me. But I believe that this situation will be resolved now on my return to Spain.”

While Costa is keen for a deal to be sorted, there is still a long way to go and Atletico are reportedly not in any rush to complete a deal considering they are unable to register new players until January, which complicates matters further.

There is also the fact that Chelsea are reportedly holding out for £50m, despite the fact they have lost their bargaining as soon as Costa revealed Conte told him he was transfer listed.

In the last four Premier League campaigns, Costa has scored at least 18 more goals than any other Chelsea player (52).