Chelsea consider suing Costa for up to £50m – reports

Joe Williams

Chelsea are reportedly considering legal action over Diego Costa’ refusal to return to the Premier League club.

Costa, who has been named in the Blues’ 25-man squad for the Premier League, was told – reportedly via text – by Antonio Conte over the summer that he was no longer needed at the club.

That has led to a summer-long feud that has seen the striker living in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for the past two months despite Chelsea already being three matches into the new Premier League season.

He has been pining after a move to Atletico Madrid all summer but having failed to transfer before the closure of the Spanish window on Friday night, the affair is set to get uglier.

The Daily Express claims that Chelsea are weighing up the possibility of suing the Spain international for up to £50million if he continues to refuse to come back to the club.

Costa is one of the club’s highest earners on £185,000-a-week and he still has two years remaining on his current contract with the west Londoners.

The Brazilian-born striker joined Chelsea for £32million in 2014 and the report continues by saying that the Premier League side see Costa’s return to the club as the only non-legal way out of the situation.