Chelsea Transfer News: Diego Costa, China Agreement Reported Amid Latest Rumours

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reportedly reached a "pre-agreement" to move to a Chinese Super League club this summer and is set to rake in a whopping salary tipping £30 million per year.

Manu Carreno is a Spanish journalist who presents Cadena Ser show The Rail (h/t The Sun's Lee Astley), and he said the forward's impending transfer to China was "total" and "absolute."

Astley's report mentioned the Blues received an offer of more than £70 million from Chinese outfit Tianjin Quanjian to sign the player during the January transfer window, but Blues boss Antonio Conte declined to sell.

Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse also cited Carreno's report, adding that Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, who was previously linked with a move to Stamford Bridge from Juventus, could be Costa's replacement:

Chelsea decided to keep hold of Costa until at least this summer after the Spain international played a crucial role in guiding the club to the summit of the Premier League during the first half of this season.

The west Londoners are nine points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal—second and third, respectively—and Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe recently pointed to Costa as the division's in-form attacker:

Costa, who is represented by superagent Jorge Mendes, reportedly stands to earn an eye-watering £570,000 per week if he does move to China—a figure most players would find impossible to turn down.

That said, Chelsea will want to secure an adequate replacement for their star striker should he leave, as he's been instrumental yet again in guiding his club to the Premier League summit:

Costa arrived in west London in the summer of 2014 after Chelsea triggered the £32 million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract. The Blues now stand to sell their man for more than twice that fee.

The Brazil-born striker has been a revelation for most of his career in England and has also earned praise from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, per Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo:

If Costa were to join the Chinese Super League exodus, he would become the fourth Chelsea player to do so in recent times, following the likes of Oscar (Shanghai SIPG), Mikel John Obi (Tianjin TEDA) and Ramires (Jiangsu Suning).

According to Astley's report, Morata could be targeted as part of a £100 million spending splurge as Conte looks to stamp his imprint upon the Blues ranks this summer—with or without Costa.