The conflict between Diego Costa and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has gone public after the Spanish striker all but confirmed that his days at the Stamford Bridge are numbered.In extraordinary remarks made after Spain drew Colombia 2-2 in an international friendly, Costa revealed the details of a text message in which Conte told him he had no future at the West London club.
'‘It seems I didn’t have a good season,'' the 28-year-old said. ''It was just a simple message after all I’ve done for the club but if he doesn’t want me there then I will have to look for a [new] team.
If the manager gets in contact with you to tell you that you are not wanted then you have to leave."
"My relationship with the coach has been bad this season. It's a shame, I've already forwarded the message to Chelsea people to decide.''
A return to Atlético Madrid
Addressing his future options and the prospect of a reunion with Atlético Madrid, the Brazilian-born soccer player said it would be nice to go back to Vicente Calderón, but added that he wanted to play consistently to be able to take part in next year's World Cup in Russia.
Such an emotional return, however, might not be possible. The Spanish club is banned by FIFA from conducting any business in the transfer market this summer, meaning that Costa has to find another club to play for.
A possible switch to Italy
It is understood that Costa's agent Jorge Mendes has already met with representatives from AC Milan to discuss a possible move to the Serie A. Further discussions are planned over the coming few days to see if the Italians are willing to pay the £40 million that Chelsea demands.
Chelsea will meanwhile look to finalize a transfer for Everton's hitman Romelu Lukaku, which could cost the Premier League winners up to £100 million.
The Belgian goalscorer said that he had already made a decision without going into the details.
In spite of a successful season in which the striker scored 22 goals to help his team clinch a second Premier League title in three years, the relationship with the Chelsea boss remained fragile.
In January, Conte made it clear that he was not happy with the player's fitness.
He dropped him for crucial Premier League fixtures and was thought to be furious with speculations linking the Spaniard with a £76 million switch to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian.
Diego Costa joined the Blues in July 2014 after agreeing to a five-year contract. He has scored 58 goals in 119 games he played across all competitions.
