The Ligue 1 rich boys wants Atletico’s Costa.
Atletico Madrid top-scorer Diego Costa is a key target for Chelsea this summer, but AS Monaco are prepared to offer a deal worth £40m, according to the Daily Mail.
Costa has a buyout clause of around £32m written into his contract, but with commission Monaco are willing to sanction a much larger financial outlay than that.
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They would also look to tempt the striker with wages of £150,000-a-week, which would be tax free due to the laws in the Principality.
Costa has been greatly impressing with Atleti this season after filling the void left by Radamel Falcao, who made a £50m move to the Stade Louis II in 2013.
The 25-year-old has 33 goals in 43 matches in all competitions for the Spanish side, helping them to the top of La Liga and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
With the attacking trio of Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres all failing to truly impress at Stamford Bridge this term, manager Jose Mourinho is desperate for recruitment upfront.
Yet UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rule is restricting clubs such as the Blues and after losing £49.4m last year will need to break even this time around.
That means spending huge sums on Costa may not be viable, leaving Monaco open to swoop in and sign yet another Atletico star.
Costa is also represented by Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, who has already overseen the transfers of Falcao, Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez and Ricardo Carvalho to les Rouges et Blancs.
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