Chelsea are rapidly closing in on a deal to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton, something which will release Diego Costa to return to Atletico Madrid, according to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato.
It was recently claimed the Blues had lodged a €60m bid with Everton in a bid to re-sign Lukaku, who they sold to the Toffees in a permanent deal in 2014 for a fee of £28m.
Now Chelsea want the Belgium international back and it has been claimed they are just one step away from doing the deal to take Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge.
And if Lukaku does head to Chelsea, the Blues will then offload Costa, who already has a willing buyer.
Indeed, Atletico Madrid are desperate to have Costa back at the Vicente Calderon and are banking on Chelsea agreeing to sell the striker this summer.
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Costa is ready to return to the club he left in 2014, turning the page on an often controversial time at Chelsea, where he has had several brushes with the authorities and won few friends with his fiesty style of play.
The 27-year-old joined the Blues from Atletico Madrid after the Premier League side met the £32m buy-out clause in the striker's contract, leaving Los Rojiblancos powerless to prevent his departure for England.
