Diego Costa Reportedly Clashed with Antonio Conte over Chelsea Striker's Fitness

Chelsea star Diego Costa and manager Antonio Conte have reportedly clashed over the player's fitness, with the Spain international not travelling with the squad for the upcoming Premier League match against Leicester City.

That's according to the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, who reported Costa believes he has a lower-back injury that could be connected to his history of hamstring issues. The Blues' medical staff disagrees, however, and Conte has supported his staff, leading to a row between the boss and the former Atletico Madrid man.

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Costa has already scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season and has been the main driving force behind the club's title run. Chelsea visit Leicester on Saturday.

BeIN Sports USA's Adam Digby was hardly surprised to learn the two reportedly had a row:

The report even suggested the disagreement could impact Costa's ongoing contract negotiations, with Mokbel writing his representatives have contemplated the possibility of a switch to China. 

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones reported the same thing:

That seems a little far-fetched, however. The 28-year-old is still in his prime and considered one of the best forwards in the world, and in a worst-case scenario, many top clubs would be willing to spend big to take him off Chelsea's hands.

As reported by Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Independent, he came close to returning to the Spanish capital during the summer, and that was before he rediscovered his form and led the charge for the Blues.

Both Costa and Conte are volatile individuals, and an incident between the two seemed almost inevitable at some point in the season. Digby doesn't expect it to have any major consequences, and Costa should return to Conte's good favour soon:

With the exception of Michy Batshuayi, the Blues don't have a lot of options for the striker position, so expect the two parties to find a solution to their issue and continue their work toward a title soon.