Although he helped Chelsea clinch the Premier League title and the Capital One Cup in his debut season in the English top flight after bagging 20 league goals, Diego Costa was close to a sensational return to Atletico Madrid in the summer, as claimed by the Daily Mail.
Costa, 27, made a £32m move from the Spanish Capital to London in the summer of 2014 and immediately hit the ground running for Chelsea in the opening few weeks of the season.
But his form dipped in the New Year – partly due to a three-match ban in January and a series of hamstring problems – but he still ended the season on a bright note.
The Mail is now claiming Atletico Madrid supremo Miguel Angel Gil and Costa remained close pals from their time together at the Vicente Calderon.
This, as claimed by the report, led to a meeting between the pair in Ibiza during the summer, as Costa enjoyed some time away from London after the season came to an end.
The aforementioned source goes on to say Costa misses the Spanish capital and considered leaving last summer, as he remained close to some of his former team-mates at Atletico.
Should Chelsea lose Costa in the summer, it would be a huge blow for the club although the 27-year old has endured a poor start to the season, scoring just twice in eight Premier League games.
Meanwhile, Costa is a doubt for Saturday’s crunch clash against Liverpool after coming off during the League Cup clash against Stoke on Wednesday, with a suspected rib injury.