OFFICIAL: Diego Costa set to return to Atleti as clubs announce deal

At last, Diego Costa is officially set to return home to Atlético Madrid after a very dramatic and lengthy transfer saga between the three parties involved. Chelsea and Atlético announced a deal had been struck on Thursday after months of speculation.

Costa returns after a successful three-year spell in England, where he scored 52 goals and won two Premier League titles. The Spanish striker will fly in to Madrid in the coming days to finalise a contract, undergo a medical and most likely begin training with the team.

Seemingly, though there are conflicting reports, the fee for Costa will be around €50 million to start, and could rise to €60 million. That is a huge fee for Atleti to pay, and would make Costa their record signing. Sky Sports have also reported that Chelsea will not be paying Costa’s wages, despite the transfer not technically taking place until January.

Chelsea are known for driving a hard bargain for players, and this is certainly not an exception. It’s a risk for Atleti to pay this much for a player in their current financial state, but this is not just any player, Diego Costa means so much to every Colchonero. Future teammate Antoine Griezmann has already tweeted his excitement with the signing through lyrics from a Diddy – Dirty Money song.

Though the registration ban has been extraordinarily frustrating at times, it has given Atleti time to get this deal done, and not rushing at the end of the summer window. There is still a feeling that Atleti may have paid a bit over Costa’s value. However, if he maintains the level he has been at for the last 5 or so years of his career, it is not an overpay. And though the market has gone insane this summer, it is worth remembering last year that Gonzalo Higuaín cost Juventus €90 million, so to get Costa for 2/3 of that is arguably quite a good deal for Atleti.

This news comes at the end of a great week for Atlético, where they’ve won two matches on the bounce, opened a new stadium and now has their talismanic striker back. Hopefully, with the reinforcements of Costa and Vitolo arriving in January, the team can stay in the mix for both LaLiga and the Champions League and have a real chance at winning a big trophy this year.

Hopefully, Diego will be present for the Champions League clash of his current and former clubs next week at the Wanda Metropolitano.