Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Alex Teixeira and Diego Costa Rumours

Shakhtar Donetsk boss Mircea Lucescu has conceded he will not prevent reported Chelsea target Alex Teixeira from moving to an elite club in the summer.

As reported by Daniel Sandford of the MailOnline, the Blues have been strongly linked with a move for the Brazilian midfielder, who has starred for the Ukrainian side this term.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Lucescu admitted he is always keen to see the club’s star players go on and play at the highest level possible, per Sandford:

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We'll see in the summer; for now there's no point talking about it. This year, he needs to play so that he grows even more, despite the fact that Alex's level is very high even today. In this case he will be even more in demand. At the moment there are no official proposals, so it makes no sense to talk about it. …

I want to see my players perform in the best, top teams in Europe. This means that both my assistants and I have not been working in vain for so many years.

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Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Teixeira seems as though he’s the latest player from Shakhtar that’ll be pinched by one of European football’s juggernauts.

The Ukrainian club have already aided the development of players such as Douglas Costa, Willian, Fernandinho and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. They’ve been able to keep hold of Teixeira thus far, but with an impressive 26 goals netted in all competitions already this term, it seems inevitable the top sides on the continent will take a long look at this major talent.

As we can see courtesy of the Europa League Twitter feed, his goals have come in pretty quick time too:

Here’s a look at some of Teixeira’s best moments from what has been a memorable campaign:

Chelsea are enduring an extremely tough 2015-16 season, and a player such as Teixeira coming in midseason would give all at Stamford Bridge a big boost.

But it doesn’t seem as though Shakhtar are willing to do business until the summer, if Lucescu’s assessment of the player’s future is to be taken at face value.

The Blues aren’t short of attacking midfielders, with Oscar, Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas all capable of operating behind the centre-forward. But Teixeira is fast evolving into a wonderful footballer, and if Chelsea do have a chance to get him on board, then it’ll be a tremendous acquisition for the club.

Diego Costa Wants Atletico Madrid Return

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has claimed Chelsea striker Diego Costa would “love” to return to former club Atletico Madrid.

Atletico’s big-money summer signing Jackson Martinez has not lived up to expectations since his move to the club and if things don’t improve for the Colombia international, then Simeone may seek to bring the Blues man back to the Vicente Calderon, according to Balague on Sky Sports:

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Jackson Martinez is playing better. If he continues progressing he has a career at Atletico. Not just him, but Vietto and Saul have helped Atletico coming from the bench in the last five games. 

Costa would love to go back to Atletico but Simeone wants to see what he can get from Martinez before trying anything else.

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ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

Costa hasn’t been having the best of terms himself. Former manager Jose Mourinho even chose to leave him on the bench at times, opting to play without a natural centre-forward instead.

Despite dividing opinion among many at Stamford Bridge, Costa remains a hugely popular figure at the Calderon. Here’s a reminder of why:

His 27 goals helped Atletico secure a surprise 2013-14 La Liga title win, with his nastiness at the point of the attack epitomising Diego Simeone’s determined outfit.

Getting him back and playing alongside Antoine Griezmann is something which plenty of Atletico supporters would love to see happen.

But there have been signs Costa is finding his way again recently, with three goals and one assist in his last two matches.

If he can get back to the levels he showcased in his debut campaign and during his final year at the Calderon, then it’d be a big surprise to see the Blues looking to cash in on a striker who is among Europe's best at full flight.