Chelsea won't allow Diego Costa to move to China, says Atletico Madrid president

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Vaishali Bhardwaj8 February 2017

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has admitted he would love to re-sign Diego Costa, but insists Chelsea will not allow their star striker to leave the club.

Costa has proved an integral part of Chelsea's first team since arriving from Atletico in the summer of 2014.

The Brazilian-born Spain international helped the Blues win the Premier League title in his first season at the club, although Chelsea's disastrous 2015/2016 campaign saw him look for a move back to his former side.

Chelsea held firm on their stance to keep Costa, but only last month the striker had a heated exchange with Chelsea coach Antonio Conte over a back injury which coincided with a mammoth offer from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian worth in excess of £570,000-a-week.

Costa remains an important player in Conte's side, with the striker currently on 15 league goals, and Cerezo believes his form for the Blues is why the club will not allow him to leave this summer.

"It has been a while since I spoke to him. He is at a great club," Cerezo told Spanish radio station Cadena COPE.

"They [media] say he will go to China, but Chelsea will not allow him to leave.

"I would love for Costa to return but it's not easy. He plays for a strong team, a team that is likely to win the Premier League.

"I don't think the big teams will allow their top players to leave."

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