Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Diego Costa and Bojan Krkic Rumours

Chelsea star Diego Costa will reportedly only return to Atletico Madrid if manager Diego Simeone is still in charge, according to the latest rumours from Spain.

AS (h/t Daily Express' Charles Perrin) claims the 27-year-old forward is still contemplating a transfer move back to Atleti, but question marks surrounding the future of Simeone could ruin those plans. The Argentinian is reportedly wanted by Manchester United, who are expected to part ways with current boss Louis van Gaal ahead of next season.

Costa endured a nightmare first half of the 2015-16 campaign, and his poor form combined with a handful of incidents had fans and pundits alike questioning his future at Stamford Bridge. As shared by Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World, it wasn't so long ago he was one of the least popular players among the fans:

He has enjoyed something of a resurgence under interim manager Guus Hiddink, however, showing the peculiar skill set that made him such a smash hit during his first months with the club.

Costa is a bully who likes to frustrate opponents by playing a very physical brand of football—and he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He gets into defenders' heads all the time, but he also has the technical ability to put away chances in a hurry.

The combination of the two is deadly, but during the first half of this season, Costa seemed to forget at times that his main job is to score or create space for team-mates. He spent most of his time arguing and fighting, and without their star target man doing his job, Chelsea looked helpless.

He's looked more like his old self of late, however, via Henry Winter of the Times:

It's too early to make any definitive statements, but all signs point toward a return to form for Costa. If that's the case, any speculation about a move back to the Spanish capital will become pointless, at least from Chelsea's point of view.

There's no star-caliber replacement currently in the squad, and Atletico won't spend a huge chunk of money on their former player. They already have a star striker in the form of Antoine Griezmann, and big things are expected of Angel Correa and Luciano Vietto, two prospects with tons of potential.

Costa's form in the coming months will be key. If he can once again become the player Chelsea were so keen to add in 2014, a transfer seems out of the question. If he reverts back to the Costa we saw in the past few months, however, his career at Stamford Bridge may come to a swift end.

Bojan Krkic Release Clause Revealed

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Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic's hot form hasn't gone unnoticed, with reports surfacing in the past few days that link him to Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, per Martin Lipton of the Sun.

It now seems a move for the 25-year-old may actually be a relatively easy one, as Neil Moxley of the Daily Mirror claims his contract with Stoke City contains a release clause of just £10 million.

The former Barcelona star is finally flashing the potential that had scouts buzzing when he made his debut at the age of 17, scoring five goals in 15 Premier League starts this season, per WhoScored.com.

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Finally healthy and in top form, he's been the main engine behind Stoke's attack, combining well with Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri. He looks every bit as quick as he did before suffering a knee injury last season, and despite his relative lack of size, he's holding his own playing up front for the Potters.

Bojan looks like a typical attacking midfielder, but he was trained at La Masia to be a versatile attacking weapon, capable of playing as a striker, out on the wing or further back. With Chelsea, he would likely play as an attacking midfielder or out wide.

A move to Stamford Bridge seems unlikely, however. The Blues boast an incredible amount of talent in those positions, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, Oscar and Willian all likely to start over Bojan.

He could be an incredible value-signing, but after all of the setbacks that have plagued his career these last few years, one has to assume he's enjoying being on the pitch again, and he won't leave Stoke in January.

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