Chelsea Transfer News: Jackson Martinez, Diego Costa Swap Rumours Emerge

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are reportedly considering a swap deal that would send striker Jackson Martinez to Stamford Bridge and Diego Costa back to the Spanish capital.

That's according to Fichajes.net (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw), who note both have struggled during the 2015-16 season and could benefit from a fresh start.

Martinez only moved to Atletico last summer after a lengthy and successful spell with FC Porto, but he hasn't hit the ground running. Manager Diego Simeone doesn't seem to rate the Colombian, who has made just seven starts in La Liga and has scored two goals in the process, per WhoScored.com.

The 29-year-old is not a good fit for Atletico's system, which uses two strikers as opposed to one. Antoine Griezmann is an automatic starter, and Fernando Torres has proved himself more effective in the system.

Per Bellshaw, Martinez was a popular name on the transfer market last summer, and it's easy to see why:

Martinez's blend of strength, mobility, aerial prowess and clinical finishing makes him a dangerous forward in the right system, one where he can play as a lone striker and have wingers and midfielders crash the box.

That's Costa's role at Stamford Bridge, and for the first few months of the 2014-15 campaign, he played it exceptionally well. But the Spaniard has cooled off significantly since then and looks nothing like the star striker we saw last season, scoring just three goals in 13 Premier League starts, per WhoScored.com.

The 27-year-old looks more interested in picking fights than scoring goals these days, and his struggles have played a large part in Chelsea's disastrous start to the season. As shared by ESPN FC, he's hardly Chelsea's most popular player right now:

Costa's time at the Bridge already seems to be running out, and his future will likely depend on two factors: his play in the coming months and the identity of the new manager set to take the job for next season.

The most successful spell of his career came with Atletico, and should things fail to improve with Chelsea, it stands to reason he would love to return to his old club to try to recapture his form.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

A swap deal could prove tricky to pull off, however, as there are a number of factors standing in the way. For one, Chelsea are reportedly interested in Atletico manager Simeone, per the Guardian's Sid Lowe. If Martinez doesn't fit his system in Madrid, it makes no sense to send him to west London in advance, only to run into the same problem.

As shared by football writer Pete O'Rourke, Simeone has cast major doubts over a move to Chelsea, but he's yet to rule anything out, and he will likely be near the top of the Blues' wish list:

Then there's the valuation of the two players. For all his faults, Costa has proved himself an effective striker on the highest level and a player capable of breaking down Premier League defences when he's on form.

With Guus Hiddink now pulling the strings at Stamford Bridge, there's a chance Costa will return to his scoring ways. He's always been a consistent scorer, and his current slump may just be down to Chelsea's poor run as a team.

Martinez isn't nearly as proven. A prolific scorer for Porto, he never replicated his scoring form for the Colombian national team and wasn't even a regular starter at the 2014 World Cup, despite Radamel Falcao's injury problems. Carlos Bacca was Colombia's preferred option up front, and Martinez scored just twice, per FIFA.com.

Being Porto's ace scorer is one thing, but scoring at the same rate in a more difficult league with a higher defensive standard has proved difficult for Martinez so far. There's no evidence to indicate he would find success in England, whereas Costa has already shown his scoring touch for Chelsea.

Costa may face jeers from the Chelsea fans every time he steps on the pitch right now, but if he keeps his head down, works hard and starts scoring again, that will change quickly. Giving him more time seems a smarter path toward success than making a swap for the unproven Martinez at this point.

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