Chelsea will issue a hands-off warning to Atletico Madrid over their links to Diego Costa, as new coach Antonio Conte is intent on keeping the forward at Stamford Bridge.
The 27-year-old striker has been linked with a move back to the Spanish capital this summer and the Blues will speak with Atletico over their reported interest in their former star forward.
Chelsea are understood to be angered by reports linking Costa to Spain and will again seek clarification over the transfer rumours.
"Diego Costa is our player, he is a Chelsea player," Conte said on Tuesday. "I spoke with him; he is a very important player. For me he is one of the best in the world. He can score a lot of goals for us.
"He needs to play for a club that is one of the best like Chelsea. Diego Costa is our player; he's a fantastic player with fundamental importance. He's very happy and is working hard."
Chelsea want to avoid their striker being unsettled for the new season, with more talks between the two clubs expected in the upcoming days over a player the Blues originally signed for £32 million in 2014.
New striker Michy Batshuayi has only recently joined up with the group but is not seen as a replacement to Costa.
Conte – who is preparing his team for a pre-season friendly against RZ Pellets on Wednesday - does not deal with transfer matters directly but plays an advisory role. He was involved in convincing N’Golo Kante to leave Leicester City for London.
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