Chelsea striker Diego Costa finally spoke up about his rumoured move to China at the end of the season, saying that only he will decide his own future, reported The Guardian. Costa scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Monday, even as the club firmed its grip on the title.
Last week, Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjin denied reports that they had signed the 28-year-old striker for a record-breaking fee of €90 million. Responding to the speculation, Costa told South American broadcasters DirecTV Sports: “I am the owner of my future and it does not mean that I am going to China.”
Costa has two years left on his Chelsea contract, which was signed when he joined the London-based club from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2014. His future at Chelsea is not certain yet, despite him being among the top scorers this season in the Premier League. He has previously admitted he wants to return to Atletico, said the report.
Reports of Costa’s inclination to move to China first surfaced in January when he was even dropped from the Chelsea squad for a crucial game against defending champions Leicester City. However, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had insisted that Costa’s absence from the squad was because he had a back problem.
Conte has since refused to speak on the matter of Costa’s transfer, only saying that the “will of the player” is important in the future of any of them. Chelsea need only three points from their remaining three games to wrap up the Premier League title.
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