Atletico Madrid have officially terminated Diego Costa’s contract – The veteran Spain forward is now on a free agent status after his wish to leave was realized by Atletico.
Atletico Madrid confirmed that it had terminated the contract of its star striker, Diego Costa, as of Tuesday (29/12).
Initially, Costa had said he wanted to leave Atletico in January, or six months before his contract expired.
The 32-year-old forward wants to leave the club due to individual problems. He is also not interested in extending his contract at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Atletico also agreed to the striker’s request ahead of the January transfer window opening. Now, Costa is a free agent, aka without a club.
“Atletico de Madrid and Diego Costa have agreed to terminate the contract, which is planned to expire on June 30, 2022,” said Atletico’s official statement on the official website.
“The striker yesterday made a wish to leave the club for individual reasons, and this Tuesday he signed the termination of his contract. The Club would like to thank Diego Costa for his dedication and wish him all the best for his professional profession ahead.”
Costa’s performance at Atletico has been less than optimal since coming from Chelsea in 2022 due to health problems.
As a result, his goalscoring record fell markedly in his second spell with Los Rojiblancos, scoring only 19 goals from 81 matches. That compares to 64 goals scored in 135 games in the first time.
In the 2022/21 season, Costa has only scored 2 goals in 7 games, with his last goal for Atletico coming from the penalty spot in a 3-1 win over Elche on 19 December.
Now, with Costa gone, coach Diego Simeone will likely look for a new striker in the winter, remember Atletico only have Luis Suarez as one of the pure strikers.
Several clubs are now directly linked with this veteran Spanish striker. Arsenal and other English Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in bringing the former Chelsea bomber.
Atletico currently occupy the top position of the Spanish La Liga standings and will return to compete again on Wednesday (30/12) tomorrow against Getafe at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Source: goal.com
