Diego Costa has claimed he has been told by Antonio Conte that he is not wanted at Chelsea next season, with the Spain striker admitting he will “have to find a way out” of Stamford Bridge.
Costa, who is away on international duty after helping Chelsea to win the Premier League title last season, has been linked with a move to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian having seen a potential return to Atlético Madrid collapse after the Spanish side’s transfer ban was upheld. But with Chelsea interested in a move for Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, the 28-year-old revealed after Spain’s 2-2 draw with Colombia on Wednesday night that Conte had sent him a message this week to inform him that he does not expect the player who scored 20 Premier League goals last season to be a part of his squad next season.
“My relationship with the coach has been bad this season. I suppose I’ve had a bad season so I can’t go on,” Costa said.
“I’m going to be honest, the other day, Conte sent me a message saying he does not count on me for next season, so I’ll have to find a way out.
“I love living in Madrid, but I have to think about my future. It’s complicated because I cannot go four or five months without playing. I have no preference for a league, I just want to play.”
Costa has already made clear his reluctance to move to China, although it remains unclear whether he has other suitors in Europe. The Belgium striker, Michy Batshuayi, has also insisted he will not tolerate another season as a bit-part player at Chelsea as he targets a place at the World Cup in Russia.