---
title: "Conte: Costa is a Chelsea player"
canonical: "https://readchelsea.com/2016/08/03/conte-costa-is-a-chelsea-player/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Oliver Birch"
section: "Chelsea News"
published: "2016-08-03T10:03:14Z"
modified: "2016-08-03T10:03:14Z"
---

# Conte: Costa is a Chelsea player

Chelsea striker Diego Costa is ‘very happy to stay’ at the club says Antonio Conte, despite being heavily linked with a move back to his former club Atletico Madrid.

According to [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/10521078/diego-costa-happy-to-stay-at-chelsea-says-antonio-conte), Costa has fully recovered from his back injury and is committed to staying at Stamford Bridge this season.

The Spaniard moved from Atletico to Chelsea in 2014 for a fee of around £32million and made an instant impact in his first season with the club.

![Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/474712796.jpg)

Costa hit 21 goals in his debut campaign with Chelsea, helping the Blues lift the Capital One Cup and become Premier League Champions once again.

And despite the widespread speculation [linking](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3715298/Atletico-Madrid-offer-40m-Diego-Costa-step-pursuit-Chelsea-forward.html) the 27-year-old with a move back to Spain this summer, Conte has reassured Chelsea fans that he is happy to stay at the club ahead of the pre-season clash with AC Milan on Thursday morning.

> Diego Costa has recovered from his injury. Tomorrow I decide the formation and the starting 11 but he is available and I am very happy that I can count on him. I repeat that Diego Costa is a Chelsea player and for me this is the most important thing at this moment. He is very happy to stay with us.

![Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/578127164.jpg)

Costa will be looking to rediscover his debut season form this campaign, after scoring just 12 league goals in Chelsea’s miserable 2015/16 title defence last time around.

The Spaniard is yet to score in this pre-season but will be looking to break his duck in the Blues’ final International Champions Cup fixture against AC Milan.