Diego Costa has surprised Chelsea fans by admitting that he would not rule out a potential return to Atletico Madrid, where he spent several seasons as the club’s number one striker.

He especially rose to prominence in his final season at the club after almost helping them win the Champions League. The Spaniard came to Chelsea in the summer of 2014 and he has been a huge success in every regard. His first season brought about 20 goals just in the league and it helped the blues to become league champions after a gap of five years.

The 2015-16 season, though, has brought out vast changes to the striker’s attitude and form. No longer is Costa freely scoring and this has contributed to manager José Mourinho dropping him from time to time. The Spaniard recently responded with an ill-advised tantrum during the game against Tottenham. Just three goals in the league so far has not been enough to justify Costa’s attitude, while the latest comments by the striker is only likely to anger the fans. The striker stated that Atletico Madrid still hold a special place in his heart and that he would not rule out a return to the Vicente Calderon.

Costa has been a target for Atletico ever since he came to Chelsea. “You never know, look where Filipe Luis is now. Life takes plenty of twists and turns - I always wish Atletico the best and I always follow them, support them from far. Hopefully we don’t have to play them. They’re uncomfortable to play against. If I could choose, I would choose to play them in the final,” said Costa about a potential return to his former stomping ground. Chelsea could potentially meet Atletico only in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and not in the last 16 stages.