Striker Diego Costa has officially left Atletico Madrid as a free agent following the termination of his contract.
The statement was released on Tuesday morning which confirmed that the striker had requested his release and the club has agreed.
Aged 32, Costa has fallen from prominence at Atleti in recent times following the summer arrival of Luis Suarez from Barcelona, who is now the preferred central striker alongside Joao Felix in attack.
It is claimed that whilst personal reasons are the official reasons for Costa wanting a move, his primary concern is a lack of first-team football and would want guarantees at his next club.
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A report in El Mundo on Monday claimed that Los Rojiblancos only allowed the experienced striker to leave the club under the premise that he would not join a rival club.
Costa would reportedly be fined € 25m if he joins one of those three rival Spanish clubs, or € 5m if he joins another side still in Europe’s elite club competition, while if he moves elsewhere then Atleti would pay him the remaining € 3.2m of his contract.
The striker originally joined Atleti in 2010 from Real Valladolid – scoring 64 goals in 135 appearances in his first spell, before joining Chelsea in 2014.
He returned to the Spanish capital in January 2018, scoring 19 goals in 81 outings.