Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has denied reports that Chelsea striker Diego Costa is in the Spanish capital to seal a move to the La Liga side.
Reports in Madrid based newspaper Marca over the weekend suggested that Chelsea and Atletico had come to an agreement over the transfer, with a €60m (£54m) fee being discussed. Speaking to reporters yesterday however about the forward, Cerezo denied that he even knew where Costa was living:
“If the family is moving [to Madrid], tell me where they are going to live [so I can] go talk to them, I do not know anything, he’s a Chelsea player and we will not do anything until January.”
Atletico’s transfer ban will be lifted at the start of the January transfer window, but it was expected in the summer that a move would have already been agreed, with the 28 year old moving on loan to another club for the first six months until Atletico could sign the player.
Costa’s refusal to return to London to report for training at Chelsea however made negotiations over his sale difficult, and the player now looks set to spend the next four months on the sidelines without playing a single minute of competitive football.
