Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Diego Costa Rumours

Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan has reportedly rejected the offer of a new contract from the club, with Chelsea said to be interested in landing the playmaker.

According to Bild (h/t Alex Chaffer of DW Sports), the Armenia international has declined the offer of an extension, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the next campaign. John Cross of the Daily Mirror noted recently both the Blues and Arsenal are keen on landing the midfielder.

Mkhitaryan enjoyed the finest campaign of his career to date in 2015-16, excelling under the guidance of BVB boss Thomas Tuchel. Here are some of the memorable moments from the season:

Previously, the Armenian had failed to completely convince at the Westfalenstadion. Under Jurgen Klopp, he struggled to find a regular position in the side and his performances were inconsistent. Tuchel has allowed Mkhitaryan freedom to roam on the field, and the results have been remarkable.

Not only did he net 11 goals and grab 15 assists in the German top flight, he was the most creative player in the division by a distance, per WhoScored.com:

It’s an edge Chelsea lacked for long spells last term, with Eden Hazard, Pedro and Oscar all short of their best. Incoming head coach Antonio Conte may seek to galvanise those stars ahead of next season, although there will be a temptation to bring in his own creators after such an underwhelming campaign for the club.

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And it’d be no surprise if Mkhitaryan was high up on that list, especially with just one year remaining on his contract. Dortmund have found themselves in this situation previously and have been tempted to move on star men as a result; the Blues may seek to trigger another sale should the Armenian continue to cast doubts over his future.

Atletico Madrid Chasing Diego Costa

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According to Paul Brown of the Daily Star, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has told the club to re-sign Diego Costa from Chelsea this summer if they want him to remain in charge of the team.

As noted in the piece, the coach was coy on his future at the club in the wake of their loss in the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday. “But it is understood he will stay if the club back him in the transfer market by signing a new big-name striker, with Costa his No. 1 target,” wrote Brown.

Costa was a central figure at the Vicente Calderon Stadium before he moved to Stamford Bridge. His efforts in the 2013-14 campaign, ultimately yielding the Liga title, made him extremely popular in the Spanish capital; here’s a reminder of just how good he was that season:

The 27-year-old had a similar impact in his first year with the Blues, scoring plenty of goals on the way to domestic success.

As we can see courtesy of OptaJose, although Costa was below his best for long spells of the last campaign, he was still a menace for defenders to deal with in the final third:

The chance to return to Atletico may well be tempting for the player. Simeone’s side play a style of football that suits the Spain international. Him linking up with Antoine Griezmann is a tantalising prospect, too.

However, Chelsea are not in a position to move on a centre-forward of his calibre at the moment. Aside from injury-prone Loic Remy, Costa is the only senior striker on the club’s books.

Losing a footballer with his attributes would be a blow to any club, but it would be almost unthinkable for a team that has little waiting in reserve.