The striker’s second spell with Atletico Madrid has come to a premature end ahead of the January transfer window.
Atletico Madrid have confirmed an agreement with Diego Costa has been reached to end the striker’s contract with the club.
Costa made a formal request to the club board over the weekend to end his contract, which would have expired in June. He wishes to leave the Spanish capital for ‘personal reasons’ and will now begin a search for a new club.
“Atlético de Madrid and Diego Costa have reached an agreement for the termination of the striker’s contract, which was to end on June 30, 2021,” read a club statement.
“The striker asked to leave the club for personal reasons a few days ago and on Tuesday signed the termination of his contract.”
The 32-year-old’s last appearance for Atletico was during a brief three-minute cameo in a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on December 22.
Costa had struggled to recapture the form seen from his first spell with Diego Simeone’s side. After rejoining from Chelsea in January 2018, he managed 19 goals and 14 assists in 74 appearances across all competitions.
2020 hadn’t been kind to Costa either, having suffered a series of long-term injuries and testing positive for COVID-19.
The former Chelsea star reportedly favors staying in Europe, despite links to Brazilian club Flamengo and Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian.
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