Arsenal + Chelsea May Have To Pay £41m To Land La Liga Hitman

The January transfer window may have slammed shut but clubs will still be working hard behind the scenes at identifying targets for the summer, so we’ll bring you all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Atletico Madrid look to tie Diego Costa down to a new contract.

Arsenal and Chelsea may have to pay £41million to land Diego Costa if Atletico Madrid are successful in persuading the striker to sign a new contract at the club, according to the Mirror.

Costa has become one of the hottest properties in world football after an excellent campaign that’s seen him score 27 goals in 37 appearances this season, with his goals helping Atletico push Real Madrid and Barcelona for the La Liga title while they are also on the verge of qualifying for the quarter finals of the Champions League.

His impressive displays have caught the eye of several top European clubs with Arsenal and Chelsea strongly linked with the Brazilian-born hitman over the past two transfer windows.

Reports coming out of Spain last week claimed that the London duo had already made it clear to Madrid that they were willing to pay the striker existing £32m buy out clause this summer, but it seems they may have to dig a little deeper to get their man.

The Mirror suggest that Altetico are desperate to try and tie Costa down to a new deal that would not only include a pay rise, but would also see his release clause increase to £41m. The 25-year-old’s current contract still has over four years left to run but the La Liga club are understandably keen to not only reward him for his excellent form, but also ensure they will receive a higher transfer fee should he leave.

Costa is in line to make his debut for the Spanish national team this week and is expected to be part of Vincent Del Bosque’s World Cup squad this summer and a good showing in Brazil is only going to increase the interest being shown in the striker.

Arsenal could certainly do with another front-man as the Gunners currently lacking any back-up for Olivier Giroud, while Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has already hinted he’ll be in the market for a top quality striker this summer, and Costa would be a superb addition for either team.

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