Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone would have “no problem” in seeing Diego Costa leave for Chelsea this summer and believes Fernando Torres would love to go the other way to rejoin the Spanish side.
The two teams will meet in the Champions League next week and Simeone, who has guided his side to the top of La Liga, thinks he would be powerless to stop his leading goalscorer Costa moving to his semi-final opponents in the transfer window.
“It will depend on him and what he thinks is best for his future,” Simeone told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “I will support any decision he makes.
“It’s natural that Chelsea are interested in him and that makes me happy, because my aim and that of my coaching staff is to see our players improve.
“We understand that Chelsea have huge financial power and if he wants to live off football for the rest of his life, I will have no problem in him going.
“It was like Radamel Falcao – how could I tell him not to go to Monaco?”
Simeone added he thought Costa would improve Jose Mourinho’s side: “Samuel Eto’o has made them better and Diego Costa could do his thing there, but for now he is ours.”
The loss of Costa could be somewhat offset by the arrival of Chelsea striker Fernando Torres and Simeone believes the 30-year-old would be very interested in returning to the club he left in 2007.
“Fernando is always with us, obviously I have sent messages to him,” Simeone said. “He is very happy with everything that is happening to this team and he is always present, wishing us luck.
“Of course he would love to come back to the club he grew up in and where he was happy.”
