Diego Costa Sale 'Likely' This Summer As Chelsea Unrest Continues

A Chelsea fan holds up a Diego Costa shirt
A Chelsea fan holds up a Diego Costa shirt at Selhurst Park, London, December 17 2016. Costa has been frozen out of the Chelsea squad amid a dispute with the club. Clive Rose/Getty

Chelsea will look to sell striker Diego Costa in the summer following his falling out with manager Antonio Conte, according to reports.

Costa, 28, was dropped from Chelsea's squad for the 3-0 victory at Leicester City on Saturday that moved Conte's team seven points clear at the top of the English Premier League, having reportedly argued with the Italian and Chelsea's fitness coaches in midweek.

Conte dismissed reports linking Costa to the Chinese Super League at the weekend, describing them as "speculation." Costa, the Premier League's joint leading scorer, has a back injury but is believed to have been distracted by those rumors of Chinese interest. He has been training apart from the rest of the squad.

According to The Guardian, Chelsea will seek a new home for Costa this summer, although the club is determined to reject any interest this month. Chelsea has already sold one player, Oscar, to Shanghai SIPG of the CSL this January.

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