Costa faces hefty fine over Atletico exit

MADRID — Diego Costa ( pictured) could face a £23 million fine if he “signs for Barcelona or Real Madrid” as he looks to leave Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

The 32-year-old's contract with the club expires in the summer, but it has been reported that he wishes to terminate his contract with the club for personal reasons.

But Costa could face a hefty penalty if he gets his wish and decides to move to one of Atletico's LaLiga rivals.

Spanish radio station Cadena Cope claim he would need to pay Atletico a massive £23m in the unlikely event of him joining one of their three big rivals - Real, Barcelona or Sevilla.

It also said he would need to hand over £4,5m if a different “Champion team” signed him, and any other club Costa would still need to pay £2,9m.

The radio station previously reported that Costa was allowed to skip training on Monday as he tries to reach an agreement with the club over his departure.

It has been reported in Spain that the club are willing to dissolve Costa's contract early and find a solution that works for all parties.

So far this season, the Spaniard has been plagued by injuries and has only scored once so far.

Meanwhile, summer signing Luis Suarez and Joao Felix have established themselves as a potent attacking duo for Diego Simeone and Costa has only made three substitute appearances in more than two months.

He scored in the same game as Suarez for the first time with a goal against Elche earlier this month, but was introduced for only three minutes of the 2-0 win at Real Sociedad on December 22.

Costa has spent eight years at Atletico across three spells, returning in 2018 after winning the Premier League twice with Chelsea between 2014 and 2017. His departure would end any prospect of a meeting with the Blues in their Champions League round of 16 clash with Atletico next year. —