Spanish publication Marca suggests Chelsea striker Diego Costa is “aching” to return to Atletico Madrid, translated by Alex Harris of the Daily Star.

Costa switched from Atletico to Chelsea last summer and scored 20 Premier League goals en route to the club’s league title success. He has proved to be an instant hit at Stamford Bridge—where his combative, physical style is appreciated—and looks destined to lead the Blues’ attacking line for the foreseeable future.

However, Marca‘s article suggests Costa wishes to return to the Spain, where he spent seven years before moving on. Sport Witness tweeted the report in question:

Sport Witness also translated the main points: “Costa happy with Chelsea, gets on with Mourinho, but doesn’t like living in London apparently. Misses Madrid weather and food.”

Costa’s debut season with Chelsea was consistently interrupted by injuries, a reoccurring feature of his career. Ahead of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Thailand All-Stars, Mourinho suggested the player is tired, reported by football writer Ben Dinnery:

Despite his fitness issues, Costa should have plenty of quality years ahead of him. The 26-year-old is the type of character his own fans love and opposition supporters hate, a summary that defines his playing style and quality. It seems outlandish to suggest Mourinho would cash in on him after such a successful first season in English football.

Plenty of alternative strikers continue to be linked with the club, namely Monaco’s Radamel Falcao and Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi. The former recently endured a poor season on loan at Manchester United—where he hit just four Premier League goals—and is looking to rejuvenate his career with a profitable move.

John Cross of the Mirror suggests Falcao is willing to take a “massive pay cut” to join Chelsea. He is currently paid £265,000 per week by the principality club, but he is “ready to accept” a financial sacrifice for a place in Chelsea’s squad and the opportunity to get his career back on track.

Falcao’s goal production has dwindled since he suffered a serious knee injury in January 2014, but his agent, Jorge Mendes—who also looks after Mourinho—will be looking to land him a major club. A bit-part role at Chelsea, where he’d no doubt play second fiddle to former Atletico team-mate Costa, could provide the right setting for Falcao to rediscover his former glory.

Icardi tied veteran Luca Toni for Serie A’s top-scorer spot on 22 strikes in 2014-15, but his future is yet to be solved. David Amoyal, writer for GianlucaDiMarzio.com, explained the situation:

The future of the striker remains uncertain, there has been a long negotiation with Inter on an extension but the club isn’t fully convinced by how the marketing rights will be handled. Icardi’s priority is to remain at Inter despite the interest of teams abroad, on top of Atletico Madrid’s concrete attempts there is also Chelsea who is following Icardi closely.

Amoyal reiterates that Icardi’s “preference” is to remain at the San Siro and that he has “delayed his vacation” to sort his future out.

Like Costa, the Argentinian is happy to duke it out with opposition defenders in a confrontational manner. He’s fearless and always backs his ability to make a difference, having netted a goal every 1.6 games in a distinctly average Serie A team last season, per WhoScored.com.

B/R UK’s Garry Hayes recently discussed whom he thinks Chelsea should sign during the summer:

Speculation of Costa’s departure appears unlikely, particularly because he is capable of being Chelsea’s top striker for years to come.

With just Loic Remy for back-up now Didier Drogba has exited, Mourinho may be looking to find an additional goalscorer to ensure his side has strength in depth. Falcao and Icardi represent interesting avenues, but both come with their own risks.

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