Diego Costa insists he has no hard feelings towards Chelsea or Antonio Conte after Atletico Madrid deal

Diego Costa has insisted he holds no animosity towards Chelsea or manager Antonio Conte after the club agreed a deal to sell him back to Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea announced on Thursday that they had come to an agreement with the Brazilian-born Spaniard to return to La Liga in a deal understood to be a club-record fee worth upwards of £44m.

Personal terms and a medical are still to be completed but once the deal is confirmed Costa will not be able to play until January due to Atletico’s transfer ban.

Costa was deemed surplus to requirements over the summer by Conte after he sent his top scorer a text message telling him he would not be in his plans for this season.

As a result, the 28-year-old refused to return to training with the Blues and instead remained in Brazil until a deal was thrashed out with Atletico.

When asked in Sao Paulo if he was upset at the way Conte had treated him, Costa told Splash News: “There's nothing of the sort there, I'm not upset with anybody, I have no bitterness towards anyone. Everything is cool.”

Asked if he had a message for the Chelsea fans, he added: “Everybody knows how much I love the fans.”