Diego Costa Reportedly Sends Antonio Conte Text Message to Chelsea Team-Mates

Diego Costa has reportedly shared the text conversation he had with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, in which the Italian informed him he was no longer needed at the club, with his team-mates. 

According to the Mirror's John Cross, Costa sent the players and club staff a screenshot of the "angry text exchange" between the pair in a bid to "undermine" the boss.

Cross added that Conte sent messages to his players at the start of the week to inform them of his expectations over the summer to ensure they return fit for pre-season in July and that Costa's reply was "flippant and cheeky."

Conte didn't take the striker's response lightly, and he is said to have told Costa he does not feature in his plans for next season. Football.London's Andy Ha shared details of the exchange:

If Costa's plan was to undermine the manager, it seems to have had its intended effect, per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey:

The Spain international helped the Blues win the Premier League title last season, scoring 20 goals in the process. However, there was concern over his focus after he was heavily linked with a £76 million move to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian in January, as Cross reported.

Bleacher Report's Alex McGovern is accepting of Conte's desire to move him on:

"

That makes it hard to rely on him next season, considering he's tried to leave multiple times too I'm ok with the decision.

— Alex McGovern (@amcgovern25) June 8, 2017"

While Costa was back on form last year, the Italian's desire to replace him with his own recruit is understandable.

The Chelsea manager could perhaps have shown better man-management skills in delivering the news—particularly to such a volatile character—but Costa has put the club in a difficult situation this summer.

His exit seems all but assured, and the question now relates to where he will go and how much the Blues can get for him.