Diego Costa appeared to confirm he wants to leave Chelsea this summer in comments made to Sergio Ramos in the tunnel before the Blues’ recent preseason friendly with Real Madrid.

The verbal exchange between Costa and Ramos was caught on camera, according to Goal.com, and seemed to feature Costa expressing his desire to leave:

‘Why don’t you come back to Madrid?’ the defender was seen mouthing by television cameras before the game.

While the Chelsea man had his back to prying eyes, Ramos’ reaction gave some indication of the conversation. 

‘They won’t let you?’ he replied, surprised, upon hearing the ex-Atletico Madrid man’s answer. 

Real’s star then let slip a possible reason why Diego Simeone will not be enjoying a reunion with his former striker at the Vicente Calderon: ‘Because Gameiro is coming?’

While this seems to make Costa’s intentions clear, it’s important to remember he and Ramos were professional rivals during the former’s days with Atletico Madrid. The whole exchange might easily be explained as harmless banter between two Spain internationals when viewed in this context.

Yet, rumours of Costa seeking life away from Stamford Bridge have been fairly consistent this summer. A return to his old club has been frequently mooted, per Paul Jiggins of The Sun, who recently reported Atleti were “confident” of agreeing a deal for Costa’s return.

Of course, that was before Atletico sealed the signing of ex-Sevilla striker Kevin Gameiro. The French attacker moved to the Spanish capital in a deal thought to have cost £28 million, according to BBC Sport, a very smart piece of transfer business by Costa’s old club.

While that would appear to have firmly put the brakes on a Costa exit, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte still left the door ajar when asked about his main striker’s future, per Stephen Mills of Sky Sports: “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.”

Put together with the conversation with Ramos, Conte‘s words make the idea of Costa still being a Chelsea player once the new Premier League season begins look remote.

So does the Blues’ continued pursuit of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. The Stamford Bridge club is said to be preparing a £60 million bid for the prolific Belgian, according to Neil Fissler and James Gray of the Sunday Express.

Interestingly, Fissler and Gray also remain confident Atletico still want Costa: “Conte is looking for the ideal replacement for current Chelsea frontman Diego Costa, who will this week be the subject of a £40m offer from his former club Atletico Madrid.”

Selling Costa would rob Conte‘s squad of its best finisher. He may struggle to stay fit and maintain his discipline, but few strikers can match Costa’s intelligent runs and unerring eye for goal.

Even Lukaku doesn’t represent a clear upgrade over Costa at his best. So perhaps Chelsea should put the brakes on all the exit talk.

 

Oscar Wanted by Serie A Clubs

Two of Serie A’s leading clubs have shown interest in Chelsea’s Brazilian playmaker Oscar, according to Darren Lewis of the Mirror. His report named Inter Milan and Juventus as the keen parties, although Lewis also noted how Chelsea deem Oscar “not for sale.”

It would make sense for Conte to keep the 24-year-old South American schemer around for at least another season. Oscar isn’t always the most consistent, but the talent is there.

He boasts accomplished technique, natural flair and a useful scoring touch. The latter quality is something Conte could make excellent use of.

The Italian likes his midfielders to chip in with a healthy number of goals, and has often relied on one man in the middle to regularly get forward. It was often Claudio Marchisio when Conte was in charge at Juve, while Emanuele Giaccherini did the same job for Italy at this summer’s UEFA Euro 2016.

Chelsea’s squad already features ample attacking potential in midfield in the form of Cesc Fabregas. However, it would still be a shame to waste Oscar’s potential, just as it could do more immediate harm than good if the club parts company with Costa this summer.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/2aHjt7a
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J