Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Costa is going nowhere
DIEGO Costa insists he is happy at Chelsea and has no plans to leave the club after flirting with a move to Atletico Madrid last summer.
That is bad news for Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian, who are reportedly plotting a staggering £80 million move for the striker.
Shanghai SIPG sealed a £60m deal for Chelsea midfielder Oscar last month and his Brazilian compatriot Ramires joined Jiangsu Suning for £25m a year ago.
But Costa says he is happy and settled at Stamford Bridge, after wanting to return to previous club Atletico Madrid in the summer.
Costa, who is in line for a new £200,000a-week contract with the Londoners, said: “Yes, yes. I was about to leave.
“I was about to... but, well, I’m happy here as well and that’s that.
“I had the possibility to go to Atletico, because of a few things — the family, the life I have there... but not because of Chelsea, because here there’s a lot of love with the supporters, with the people, so I’m very happy. I’m very content.
“There was one thing I wanted to change for family reasons but it wasn’t to be, and I continue happy here.
“It was important too that the manager, from the very first minute, said he counted on me.”
Elsewhere, Conte has continued his criticism of the Chinese Super League and the staggering amounts of money on offer.
It emerged last week that a Chinese club offered £257 million to Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo and offered him a salary of £1.1m A WEEK.
“I think it’s an incredible story. We are talking about a lot, lot, lot of money. I don’t want to trust in this. I don’t want to believe in this. Because, I think, we are talking about an amount of money which is not right,” the Italian said.
“I saw the last contract, the last contract with Carlos Tevez. I think we are talking about a lot of money. This type of offer is incredible, and it’s very difficult for the players to say ‘no’.
“But I must be honest, I think it’s not right. It’s not right, this. Because you must have respect for the money, and then if there are these offers, this type of offer... but I don’t agree, I don’t agree with this situation.”