Reports claim that the 28-year-old Diego Costa was offered a £50,000-a-week increase from his current salary, while the new five-year contract would have kept him at Stamford Bridge until 2022. This meant the striker would be earning £200,000 a week.
But Costa rejected Chelsea’s efforts and was subsequently involved in a bust-up with Conte and his medical team over a back problem he suffered in training.
Chelsea have received an £80 million bid from Tianjin Quanjian for Costa, while the Chinese Super League club are willing to offer the Spain international a tax-free salary worth £30million a year, plus a £5million signing on fee.
However, it is unlikely that the Spanish frontman will be following the path of his former team-mates Oscar and John Obi Mikel.
And Blues manager Antonio Conte has revealed, “I think we’re a great club and it’s a great honor to play for Chelsea and for this reason I don’t see a threat from China for my players. The money is not everything. When you play for a great team like Chelsea, you must be pleased with your situation.”
“The Premier League is really competitive. I think that the Premier League can attract every player because this league is the best in the world for a lot of positive things.” added Conte.
Conte further explained, “For this reason, I repeat: These offers from China are not a threat for our league. Money is not everything in football. I don’t worry about agents destabilizing my players.”
Chelsea though will not offer more than £200,000 a week to Costa but they also understand that he is a vital man for Chelsea in the push for the Premier League title.