Chelsea Edges Closer to Diego Costa Signing

The tangibility of Diego Costa’s transfer to Chelsea has now been further strengthened by the presence of Blues’ scouts at Atletico Madrid’s La Liga match with Granada last night. The potential buyers watched on as Costa scored the only goal of the match in the 63^rd minute, gifting Atletico Madrid a 1-0 victory.

The goal only serves to prove what they surely already know: Diego Costa is in incredibly goal scoring form. While his finishing often lacks the eloquence of other world class strikers, no-one can deny his sensational record this season. With 29 league appearances, 24 goals, and 3 assists, he is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga’s top scorers’ charts. These stats are further strengthened by his European performances. Having netted 5 times so far in Atletico’s Champions League campaign, the Brazilian born Spaniard is sure to demand a hefty fee.

Rumours suggest that Chelsea will be made to pay around 40 million pounds to bring Costa to Stamford Bridge, where he will join a Mourinho side who currently sit at the top of the English Premier League. Should Chelsea fail to lure him out of Diego Simeone’s, Chelsea might look to France, and reach out to the seemingly unsettled Edison Cavani.

The other variable in the ever present transfer speculation is the 2014 World Cup. A stage such as this has always been an occasion which has made, and broken, superstars. Domestic leagues from around the world will be glued to the sets, to see how their transfer targets handle the biggest games in football. Costa, having acquired Spanish citizenship, will travel with Spain’s world cup squad, and will have an opportunity to extend his incredible run of form against the likes of Australia, Holland, and Chile, as the reigning European and World Champions will face tough competition to win their group.