Chelsea Close In On €97m Deal With Formal Talks Due This Week

As we approach the business end of the season clubs are starting to make plans for the summer transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Chelsea are closing in on Diego Costa.

Chelsea are ready to meet Diego Costa’s €39m buy out clause and pay the Atletico Madrid striker a whopping €225,000-a-week in order to make him their marquee signing this summer, according to the Telegraph.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to bring in a world class front man after complaining of his lack of ‘real strikers’ this season, despite having Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba on the books at Stamford Bridge.

A number of players have been touted as potential new signings but the Telegraph claim that the Portuguese coach has made Costa his first choice target and is now prepared to trigger the players €39m (£32m) release clause at the end of the season.

The Brazilian-born hitman has been enjoying his best ever season at the Vicente Calderon, with his 36 goals in all competitions helping Atletico to the top of the La Liga table and book a place in the Champions League last four – where coincidentally they will now face Chelsea.

However, despite Atletico’s significant progress this season, the newspaper suggests that the Blues are confident they can make him their big-name signing this summer and will tempt the 25-year-old with a five year deal with a weekly wage of €225,000 (£185,000), making him the joint highest earner along with Eden Hazard.

If they are successful in luring him to West London, the deal will cost Chelsea a staggering €97m (£80m) overall when you factor in the €39m transfer fee and wages that will total €58m over the course of his five-year contract.

The Telegraph claim that officials from Chelsea are due to hold talks with Atletico Madrid this week ahead of next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg where the signing of Costa will be firmly on the agenda.

Atletico manager, Diego Simeone, admitted earlier this week that he wouldn’t stand in Costa’s way if he wanted to move to Stamford Bridge and hinted at a possible swap deal involving Fernando Torres.

“It will depend on him [Costa] and what he thinks is the best for his future,”

“I will support any decision he makes. It’s natural that Chelsea are interested in him. 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?

“Samuel Eto’o has made Chelsea better. He is getting older and Diego Costa could do his thing there, but for now he is ours.

“He has room for improvement. He’s rebellious and I like that and he’s something different. Hopefully his development won’t end. Right now he’s among the candidates for the Ballon d’Or.

“Fernando is always with us, obviously I have sent messages to him, he is very happy with everything that is happening to this team, 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 very happy.” Simeone is quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

Mourinho wants a world class striker, Costa is available at a reasonable price and Atletico wont stand in his way, so appears everything is pretty-much in place for Costa to join Chelsea this summer, other than the player actually agreeing to the move.

His reported £32m buy-out clause now looks like a bargain when you consider his form this season and the Spanish international would form a devastating attack alongside Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian next year if the moves ends up going through.

If Chelsea can challenge for the Premier League title and make the semi-final’s of the Champions League (at least) without a ‘real’ striker, imagine what they could do with Costa spearheading their attack….

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