Diego Costa says he’s leaving Chelsea

Embattled Chelsea striker Diego Costa has said in a statement that he does not want to return to the English champions and would prefer to be sold to his old club Atletico Madrid.

Earlier this week, Costa accused both the club and manager Antonio Conte of treating him like a “criminal”.

He said that Conte has told him that he has no future at the club and has been frozen out of the first-team squad.

“I am waiting for Chelsea to set me free. I didn’t want to leave. I was happy. When the manager does not want you, you have to go,” Costa said in an interview published in Monday’s Daily Mail.

“In January, things happened with the coach. I was on the brink of renewing my contract and they put the brakes on it. I suspect the manager was behind it. He asked for that to happen.

His lawyer Ricardo Cardoso said the player intends to hand in a formal transfer request and is considering legal action against Chelsea in order to force a transfer move to Atletico.