Diego Costa’s path back to Atlético Madrid from Chelsea meets another obstacle

Following reports claiming Chelsea and Atlético Madrid had finally found themselves in agreement over the economics of Diego Costa’s return to the Spanish club, the deal may have hit another stumbling block. According to the London Evening Standard, the latest issue stems from Diego’s wages and a potential loan candidate’s willingness to host his services while the player readies himself for a return to Atlético.

Although Diego may be willing to take a pay cut on his current £150,000 just so he can ease himself back to Atlético, the club are not too keen on paying his wages until he actually becomes available to play for them in January after the end of their transfer ban. But they are also worried they will not be able to find a club willing to pay his salary during that interim period due to his lack of fitness, even though candidates such as AC Milan, Everton, Marseille and Monaco should have the financial power to do so (especially if Chelsea would be willing to subsidize such a deal, sort of like Manchester City did once with Emmanuel Adebayor).

This could also just a negotiating tactic to drop Diego’s price from the £41 million initial fee that could reach as high as £50 million with add-ons. Coupled with Atlético’s sluggish handling of the negotiations so far, we could very well see this saga carried over well beyond the end of the summer transfer window (though that would rule out any short-term loan to a third party), especially if everyone involved continues to be extremely stubborn about things, as Marca report.