Gunners have moved ahead of the Blues in the race for Atletico’s Costa.
Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has been a long-term target for Chelsea, but it is their Premier League rivals Arsenal that are now leading the chase, according to the Mirror.
The 25-year-old has been impressing in the Spanish capital this season and with a £31m release clause in his contract is an attractive prospect for a number of top sides.
Both the Gunners and the Blues want to strengthen their respective attacks after relatively disappointing years for both London clubs.
The return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge is set to finish without any trophy wins, with the west Londoners off the pace in the league and eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday by Costa’s Atletico.
Meanwhile, despite the fact Arsene Wenger’s men have topped the English top tier for more time than any other side in 2013/14, it is going to be another fourth placed finish for the north Londoners – although they can end their nine-year trophy drought in the FA Cup final on May 17.
Wenger has admitted that too much reliance has been placed on Olivier Giroud this term and therefore the club are on the lookout for recruitment upfront.
This is what has drawn them to Costa, with the Brazilian born Spain international having been brilliant at the Vicente Calderon Stadium this campaign.
The forward has filled the void created by the £50m sale of Radamel Falcao to AS Monaco last summer and has scored an impressive 36 goals in 48 matches in all competitions.
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