Atletico Madrid terminate contract with Diego Costa after his 2-year stint in Spain

After a two year stint at Atletico Madrid, key striker Diego Costa is set to leave the La Liga giants in January as the Spanish club confirmed the termination of his contract on Tuesday. The striker had reportedly skipped training on Monday ahead of January transfer window. After helping Atletico win the La Liga in 2014, Costa has failed to make an impact since his return to Spain as his 2-year stint has been marred with injuries. 

Costa to move to Arsenal?

According to several reports, Costa has already played his last game for Atletico Madrid which was against real Sociedad on December 22. The Spaniard will be leaving the club for free, six months prior to the end of his contract. If reports are to believed, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have shown interest in Deigo Costa and are keen to rope him in during the January transfer window. With Atletico expected to disrupt Costa's move to a direct rival and Arsenal not being a part of the Champions League, a deal allowing the striker to be a part of Mikel Arteta's squad is most likely.

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While Atletico has confirmed Costa's termination, the Spanish giants will also be eyeing a suitable replacement in January. Costa's departure leaves Diego Simeone with only Luis Suarez, who has been battling injury problems this season. Atletico currently sit atop the La Liga table and are tied with Real Madrid on points who hold the second position in the standings. As per Fabrizio Romano, Arkadiusz Milik is being hunted by Simeone as a suitable replacement, however, Napoli have demanded €15m to sell him in January.

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Costa was one of the most lethal strikers in Europe during the 2013/14 season, with his 27 goals helping Atletico Madrid lift the LaLiga title. Following his heroics in Spain, he was brought to England by Chelsea where the striker won the Premier League title in his very first season under Jose Mourinho, before adding another title to his trophy cabinet two years later under Antonio Conte. However, the duo fell out following a series of rifts, and the striker eventually agreed on a return to Atletico in 2018 but has since failed to return to his groove. 

It has also been claimed by Spanish media that Diego Costa would have to pay Atletico a massive fee of £23m to secure a move to either of the three other Spanish giants - Real Madrid, Barcelona or Sevilla. Costa will also have to hand over £4.5m if he signs for a different 'Champion team', applied to teams remaining in the Champions League, as per reports. 

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