Diego Costa contract talks shelved, says Chelsea manager

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has revealed contract talks with Diego Costa can wait as the club look to secure the Premier League title.

Costa, 28, has been in sensational form for Chelsea this season but there have been questions about his future at the club throughout.

The Spain international has already confirmed he wanted to leave Chelsea and re-join Atletico Madrid last summer and there were suggestions he could quit the Blues for China in the January transfer window after a training ground bust up with Conte.

Chelsea had been in contract talks with Costa beforehand, although they have now been shelved as Conte wants to keep everyone focused on landing the Premier League title.

“I don’t know about this speculation because I think now it’s very important to be focused on the present and not to look so far forward,” Sky Sports quote Conte as saying.

“I think now for the players, for the people who work for Chelsea, and for me it’s important to be focused on the present. At the end of the season we’ll see the situation.”

The Blues are currently eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table but they have drawn two of their last three. Costa’s form has also dipped in that time, only managing one shot on target, which was a penalty, in his last three appearances.

For more stats on Diego Costa, click here to visit his WhoScored player page