Tianjin Quanjian cannot wait till the summer to sign Diego Costa despite having held talks with the Chelsea striker’s agent, the Chinese Super League club’s owner has said.
Costa’s future has come under intense scrutiny in recent days, after he was dropped for the trip to Leicester City on Saturday.
The Spain international reportedly got into a bust-up with manager Antonio Conte last week, which occurred as a result of continuous speculation linking Costa with a move to the Chinese Super League.
Tianjin – who are managed by Fabio Cannavaro and recently signed Axel Witsel – are the outfit who have been heavily linked with a move for Costa.
And the newly-promoted Chinese Super League outfit are certainly keen, with owner Shu Yuhui confirming talks have been held.
“I made an appointment with Mendes and he came to my hometown to visit me. At that time, we were interested in signing Costa,” Yuhui told Tianjin Sports Channel.
“PSG told us Cavani would only be allowed to leave in June, even though the player himself was willing to join us.
“The same can be said for Costa because Chelsea would only let him leave in June. However, the new season of CSL will almost reach the halfway stage in June, we can’t wait so long.”
Costa, who is the joint-highest goalscorer in the Premier League this season with 14 goals, could potentially leave this month, although Chelsea are believed to be keen on keeping him until the end of the campaign.
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