Chelsea have been struck into a huge scandal once again, as Blues striker Diego Costa is close to leaving the club after a bust-up with Antonio Conte and a huge transfer offer from Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian awaiting for a response.
The Spanish hitman has been Chelsea’s key player this season scoring an amazing fourteen goals and providing five assists, with Alexis Sanchez the only player matching the digits in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Why Diego Costa can power Chelsea to the Premier League title even if he goes to China
He was left out of yesterday’s matchday squad against Leicester, and many thought the Blues team would be nothing like the same without their star man. However, Conte’s team is not a team of one single player, and a sublime 3-0 victory over the reign champions proved that extremely well.
Well, nothing’s official yet and it’s hard to know who to believe, but according to Sky Sports Costa is prepared to hold a crisis talk with manager Conte and the club owner Roman Abramovich next Tuesday.
The 27-year-old striker has been offered a staggering £30m-a-year salary by the Chinese Super League side – worth £376,000-a-week – and wants a pay rise from his current £150,000-a-week contract to a new £300,000-a-week pay.
It’s a big, big investment that the club owner really has to think twice before agreeing. It’s all still to be played for.