Chelsea Star Set For $41 Million Salary Offer From China to Leave Premier League

Diego Costa
Diego Costa at Old Trafford, Manchester, April 16. Costa was reportedly the target of a Chinese Super League club in January. Reuters / Carl Recine

Chinese Super League club Tianjian Quanjian is aiming to lure Diego Costa away from Stamford Bridge with a net salary of £620,000 ($795,000) a week, according to reports.

Costa was reportedly the target of an offer from the big-spending league, which has spent more than the Premier League over the past two seasons, during the January transfer window.

Costa stayed and is helping guide Chelsea to a second Premier League title in three years, but Tianjin is aiming to renew the offer to the striker in the summer, according to the Daily Mail.

A deal would see Costa earn £32 million per year ($41 million), making him the highest paid player in the world.

The 28-year-old has been prolific for Antonio Conte's team this season, scoring 18 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.

But the goals have significantly dried up since January, when the Chinese club showed interest in taking him to the rising league. He has scored just three times in the league since the turn of the year.

Conte is believed to be preparing for life after Costa, with Everton forward Romelu Lukaku and Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata among potential targets.

Chelsea leads the Premier League by four points with six games of the season remaining. It faces Tottenham in the semifinal of the FA Cup on Saturday.

World's Highest-Paid Players (all figures weekly):

1. Carlos Tevez—£615,000 (about $789,000)—Shanghai Shenhua

2. Oscar—£400,000 (about $513,000)—Shanghai SIPG

3. Cristiano Ronaldo—£365,000 (about $468,000)—Real Madrid

4. Gareth Bale—£350,000 (about $449,000)—Real Madrid

5. Lionel Messi—£336,000 (about $431,000)—Barcelona

6. Hulk—£320,000 (about $410,000)—Shanghai SIPG

7. Paul Pogba—£290,000 (about $372,000)—Manchester United

8. Graziano Pelle—£290,000 (about $372,000)—Shandong Luneng

9. Neymar—£275,000 (about $352,000)—Barcelona

10. Wayne Rooney—£260,000 (about $333,000)—Manchester United

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