Atletico Madrid have reportedly made a ‘take it or leave it’ bid of £57.25million to finally complete the transfer of Chelsea striker Diego Costa ahead of January.
The Spain international has long been linked with a return to his former club, with speculation for much of the summer suggesting a deal could be done before the August 31 deadline.
However, with Atletico under a transfer ban until the middle of the season, it looks like the move will now be resurrected in the winter, with talks ongoing between the two clubs.
Recent reports have suggested an agreement is edging closer, with Costa continuing to train away from Chelsea after falling out with manager Antonio Conte.
Still, a fee may not yet be in place, with Marca claiming Atletico have launched a final bid of £57.25m in an attempt to get the deal over the line at last.
If Chelsea do not accept this latest bid, it could throw the whole transfer into doubt once again despite Costa being widely understood to have his heart firmly set on returning to the Spanish capital.
The 28-year-old was also linked with a number of other clubs in the summer, such as AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain as well as a loan move to Fenerbahce, but none of the other moves materialised.
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Chelsea will surely be keen to get Costa of their books after this long and distracting saga, with an initial bid of £48m and add-ons looking like a decent offer from Atletico, who will be breaking their transfer record to bring their former star player back.
The Blues already have a ready-made replacement in their ranks, having signed Alvaro Morata for around £60m from Real Madrid during the summer.
MORE : Diego Costa a better talisman for Chelsea than Alvaro Morata - ex-Blue
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