Chelsea have reached an agreement with wantaway striker Diego Costa for him to miss the beginning of their pre-season preparations in order to secure a transfer deal with Atletico Madrid, according to the Guardian.
The newspaper report on their website that the Spanish international is no longer in Antonio Conte’s first team plans and the Italian is looking to offload him this summer following a blazing row between the pair.
However, they state that the player only wants to sign for his former club Atletico Madrid, with the Spanish side having had a £26million offer rebuffed, and so the Blues have agreed a deal with the player’s agents allowing him to avoid a return to training while talks are ongoing.
The rest of the Chelsea squad turned up at the club’s training ground on Monday, a week ahead of their departure to China to play a series of three friendly matches there and in Singapore as part of their pre-season preparations.
The 28-year-old, who has 15 caps for Spain as well as two for Brazil, played a key role in the Blues’ title success last season, hitting home 20 goals in 35 league appearances, as well as chipping in with another eight assists.
Since joining from Atletico back in 2014, he has proven to be one of the Premier League’s most dangerous strikers, with 58 goals in 120 appearances across all competitions.