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- Chelsea making moves to address Diego Costa situation
Numerous outlets are reporting that Chelsea have issued an ultimatum to Diego Costa if he wishes to join Atlético Madrid. The London club are rumored to have given him the following four criteria to meet before they will consider selling him:
1. He must return to London (Costa has been on an extended holiday in Brazil).
2. He must resume training with his team mates.
3. He must return to match fitness.
4. He must make himself available for first team selection.
In short, he must discontinue his pouting and begin to act like a professional.
The timing of this move from Chelsea is perhaps telling, as they are fresh off an opening day home shellacking at the hands of Burnley. One wonders if Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is revisiting his decision to cast off his leading scorer from last year’s Premier League champion squad.
Still, despite their interest in bringing back Costa, Atlético are in no hurry to sign the player since he will be unable to join the club until their registration ban is lifted in January. Perhaps a return to form at Chelsea for the time being and a sale to Atlético during the winter transfer window is a win-win for all parties involved.
- Concrete offer for Vietto
According to a report in AS, Italian club U.C. Sampdoria have lodged a €16 million bid for Luciano Vietto and are awaiting a reply from Atlético.
Southampton and Villarreal have recently been cited as interested parties for the services of the Argentine striker. It is unknown at this time if any additional bids are forthcoming from those clubs.
Here’s hoping for a bidding war and a tidy sum to add to our war chest.
- Rumor: Mesut Özil to Atleti
Following from rumors over the weekend that Antoine Griezmann may be exploring his options to move away from Atlético (if not now, then perhaps next season), The Daily Star are reporting that Arsenal striker Mesut Özil could be a target to replace him.
Considering the source this one should be taken with a grain of salt, but it is an interesting proposition. Would you be happy with a swap of Griezmann for Özil? Or would you rather take a pass on the former Real Madrid man? Let us know in the comments!