Chelsea Transfer News: Diego Costa Open to Loan Deal to Secure Atletico Move

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has admitted he is willing to go out on loan until January in order to circumvent Atletico Madrid's inability to register new players until then. 

He told Cadena SER (h/t Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard): 

"Signing for Atletico doesn't mean that I wouldn't be playing. I could be loaned out.

"Chelsea are my owners. If they want to sell me, they'll have to sell me. I don't know about my future. I have a contract with Chelsea, and they are the ones who know what they will do with me. I have to wait to see what decision my club makes."

According to Johnson, Atleti are banned from registering new players until January, but they can buy them and loan them out for the first half of the season.

However, that is not the case, according to IUSport's Ivan Palazzo (h/t COPE's Isaac Fouto, via Yahoo Sport's Andrew Gaffney):

If Los Rojiblancos are unable to do that, Chelsea may still be able to reach an agreement with the club whereby he is sent out on loan by the Blues before rejoining Atletico permanently in the winter transfer window.

Costa appears to have no future at the club after being told by Antonio Conte as much, with the striker exacerbating the situation by making public the message he received from the manager:

Chelsea are hoping to receive a substantial fee for the 28-year-old, but that could be fairly difficult because of the position they find themselves in with their desire to move him on revealed to any prospective suitors.

A loan deal ahead of rejoining Atletico could be difficult, though. Per Johnson, AC Milan have been heavily linked with a move for Costa and are said to have discussed it with his agent, Jorge Mendes, but even a temporary deal would require them to pay him £150,000 per week.

Were he to move to the Italian giants permanently, Johnson reported he would pursue a £50,000-per-week pay rise.

The ideal scenario for the Blues would be for Atletico to buy him and worry about loaning him out themselves, provided they're able to do that under their embargo.

A loan move to the Chinese Super League could end up being the simplest solution as his wages wouldn't be an issue, but a temporary switch would negate the primary appeal of moving there—the lucrative deals on offer—as his earnings wouldn't increase.

It's a tricky situation for all involved, that could perhaps be best resolved by all three parties coming together to work out a solution.